Ice in Arizona
by limpet666
Summary: Words spoken by accident spark unresolved issues and feelings, and what happens in Arizona, stays in Arizona. F/M Slash
1. Sweet Misery

This was inspired by a number of songs but Sweet Misery by Michelle Branch fit it the best. This story was just to satisfy my angst urges, and my babble urges. I hope it reads alright.

(This one going to be a one-off babble, but upon reaching the end I decided I couldn't just leave it, so there will be more. And all chapter names will be the titles of songs.)

* * *

The call came at exactly 16:23. Face knew because he had just checked his watch after bidding Hannibal and BA a goodbye, and was congratulating himself for getting extra time to prepare for the date he was picking up at seven. Naturally he had stopped at the door when the phone had gone, looking back at the other men, who were also sharing glances. They had given their number to less people than he could count on one hand, and it was only to be used in emergencies.

Hannibal looked to BA and Face with a cautious frown as he picked up the receiver, answering in a thick and bubbly Irish accent. Almost immediately the frown deepened, and the other two looked to each other with concern.

"Hey…hey, calm down, alright?" Hannibal was speaking in a placating voice, "Yeah, he's here…what?…Wh-…you're-…you're-" Whoever was on the other end of the line kept cutting him off and it was obvious the Colonel was getting agitated , "Look, I'll send him right over, okay? Just try to keep calm. Yes…y-…I-…okay-…" He let out a harsh sigh as he drew the phone away from his ear and frowned at it, the dial tone audible.

"Who was it, Hannibal?" Face asked, looking expectant and concerned.

"It was Murdock." Hannibal answered seriously in a way that didn't look right compared to his usual chipper demeanour, "You'd better get over there, Face." He added in a no-nonsense tone, looking at the conman, who held up his hands shaking his head.

"Oh no, not this time. I've got a date tonight, Hannibal, I told you. Why cant you or BA do it?" He argued.

"Because he asked for you." The Colonel told him, pulling out a cigar from his pocket and setting about lighting it with more force than was necessary.

"Aww, come on, that's no fair." Face whined, "Cut me a break just this once?" He pleaded. The woman he was meeting was the sister of an influential art critic, and the date could open big doors for him if it went well.

"No, Lieutenant!" BA frowned at the snap in Hannibal's voice, and Face immediately looked guarded. The Colonel didn't often snap at them, something must have been wrong. He finally got the cigar lit and took a long inhale, relaxing a little with the exhaled before finally turning his eyes back on Face, "He sounds like he's in a bad way over there." He said darkly, "And he's asked for you, so you're going to get your ass over there."

"I'm not breaking him out?" Face asked after he nodded, knowing not to argue any more. And besides, now he was worried about Murdock.

Hannibal shook his head, "Just go make sure he's okay." He told him, and Face nodded again.

"Right Colonel." He almost had to catch himself from saluting before he turned to leave.

By the time he arrive at the VA a couple hours later Face had already rescheduled his date for the next day, changed his clothes and formulated a new identity. He anticipated little problem getting to Murdock, especially since he didn't have to think of an excuse to get him out. He could be a doctor sent from the military to make sure their star pilot was still as insane as they thought, or maybe a cross-country doctor with an experimental treatment that was proving to work miracles in other patients. More ideas ran their way around his head as he walked purposefully into the hospital and to the elevator, pushing his fake glasses up his nose as he pressed the button for the psychiatric ward.

Murdock's cries were painfully audible the second the elevator doors slid open, and Face almost hesitated too long to step out before they shut again. He had never heard Murdock make noises like that before; he sounded distraught and panicked.

From the grim and annoyed expressions on the nurses faces, he knew that his second plan would be the one to go with. He was sure they would jump for any miracle cure that could make him be quiet.

It was all too easy to corner one of the prettier nurses and quickly overwhelm her with a series of long (and nonsense) explanations about who he was and why he was there.

"Who is the poor fellow I can hear now?" He asked her, trying to keep the concern out of his voice.

"Oh, that's Murdock." She answered quickly, a small frown furrowing her brow.

"And what's wrong him, if you'd be so kind?" He insisted, giving her an encouraging look.

"A psychotic break." She said with an unhappy expression, but Face was glad to see that she looked worried and a little sad behind the irritation, "He started a couple hours ago, we've had to sedate him once, but as soon as he came around he just started again."

"And he's consistently this…ah, vocal?" Murdock was babbling and shouting still, and the nurse nodded.

"Mostly. He's goes quiet every now and then, but then we have to go in and make sure he's not harming himself." She wrung her hands unhappily.

"He…he's done that?" Face let his façade slip for a second, but fortunately the nurse didn't notice.

"We've had to restrain him." She explained, and Face was overcome with concern. He had to get in there.

He easily persuaded her that Murdock would be perfect for his experimental treatment, and got her to lead the way.

"You understand, of course, that I require complete privacy." he told her as she unlocked the door, "This is still an unrecognised form of treatment, perfectly legal, of course, but I would hate to have to have my bosses sue this hospital if information on the procedure was leaked." His formal and serious tone had her nodding with wide eyes.

"Of course, doctor. If you can make him be quiet we'll be in your debt." She added in a whisper, and he nodded before opening the door and going in.

Murdock's state took his breath away, and he felt the blood drain from his face. He waited for the door to shut and lock behind him before he took a cautious step forward.

"Murdock?"

The first thing he noticed was that the pilot was strapped tightly into a straight jacket, arms folded around his stomach and secured at the back. He was leaning back against a wall, hunched over at the waist, his wild hair a mess of tangles and obscuring his face. His loud ramblings had died to obscure mumbling, shoulders tensed.

"Murdock?" Face went forward again, setting down the empty briefcase he had been carrying and taking off his glasses, "It's me, Murdock. It's Face." The last was added in a whisper, just in case anyone was eavesdropping.

"Face…Face, called Face, called Face before…before…" The pilot's voice was audible, but he sounded out of it, "They took my arms, Colonel…took my arms, right off like tinsel at Christmas…cant…cant fly no more, cant fly, got no arms." He shook his head vehemently, but still wasn't looking at Face, and he fought against the jacket for a few moments before calming again.

"Hey…Murdock, come on, look at me, I'm right here, see?" Face went forward to within three feet of the pilot, "And you've still got your arms." His heart was thumping hard in his chest. He had never seen Murdock so distressed. He'd seen him once or twice when he had accidentally swallowed the medication he was given, seen the zombie he turned into when he was on the meds, then the near-panicky exuberance once they wore off. But he had never seen him like this. He had always been stuck on the fence about whether Murdock was actually faking crazy or not, but this…he wouldn't fake this, he couldn't, not this. This was real, this was scary.

"Faceman…Faceman's here?" Murdock mumbled after a long silence, and a small amount of relief washed over the blond as he nodded.

"Yeah Murdock, I'm right here, okay?" He said, watching Murdock straighten up a little.

"Hannibal…Hannibal sent you over the mountains…with elephants." The pilot shook his head and pressed back into the wall, and Face finally got a look behind the wild mess of hair. Murdock's face was covered in fiery red scratches, some with small flecks of dried blood around the edges, and others a deep red where the blood had gathered under the skin. The sight took his breath away again as Murdock continued to talk, haunted brown eyes staring off across the room, "Over the mountains with elephants, but elephants cant ski…don't like the snow…too cold and wet…too cold…cold like Faceman…cold like ice…" He sank down to the floor as Face watched helplessly, the pilot's long legs pulling close to his chest. Finally he looked up at the conman, but his expression was deranged as he let out a short barking laugh.

"Nobody thought he'd do it but Hannibal sent elephants over the mountains and won the war, but nobody thought he'd do it…nobody did…impossible…elephants over the Alps…c-cant be done…wouldn't do it…couldn't do it…Hannibal didn't, he didn't really. It's all made up…just one big lie…big fat lie…they're all liars. Liars! Hannibal wouldn't do it! It's too cold! It's too cold!" He was getting worked up and struggled violently against the jacket, bare feet kicking against the floor, "It's too cold! They're all liars!" He shouted, frustrated tears flying from his face as he tried to writhe out of the jacket, "They're liars! Please! They're lying…don't…don't let them-!"

Face watched helplessly as Murdock's voice raised and dropped from sobs to cries, the pilot eventually trailing off as he hung his head, shoulders shaking in more sobs as small whimpers escaped him. Face fell to knees next to his friend.

"Murdock…come on, you've got to snap out of this…" He pleaded quietly, putting a hand lightly on Murdock's shoulder and watching him flinch away.

"It's not fair…it's not fair." Murdock's voice was barely audible, watery.

"What's not fair?" Face asked quietly, gently rubbing the pilot's shoulders when he finally relaxed under the touch.

"Not fair…too cold, Hannibal…he's too cold…" He shook his head hard, as though trying to clear it, and Face sighed softly in disappointment. Murdock still didn't know he was there, "Too cold…not hot…he likes it hot, Hannibal…hot like fire… h-hot like Arizona… I cant be Arizona…cant be…not hot enough…we'd freeze…freeze to death…freeze like ice…I don't want to be ice… I don't want to…don't…don't make me! Please!" Face was trying hard to follow what he was saying, but he wasn't making much sense.

"Murdock…I'm not Hannibal." He put a hand lightly on Murdock's cheek, trying to be gentle and mindful of the scratches, just wanting the pilot to look at him. He succeeded in turning his head, but his eyes didn't look focussed, "It's me. Faceman. Remember, you called Hannibal and asked for me. And now I'm here." He looked into the pilot's eyes, and although it took a few moments a spark of recognition finally passed though the brown depths.

"Face…?" His brows furrowed as he tried to focus, and Face forced a charming smile.

"You got it, buddy. I'm here." He told him, but after a few moment's Murdock's face fell again, looking dejected as he shook his head.

"No you're not…you're not here…not really. Never really…too cold for you, Faceman…not enough heat…" Face sighed quietly, and a worry started to nag at the back of his mind. What if he couldn't help? How long would Murdock be like this?

He didn't notice Murdock leaning forwards until the pilot had his head down against his shoulder, "Sorry I'm so cold…don't mean to be." The pilot muttered, "So hard to stay warm…cold here…cold and white and empty…wish I could be hot…hot like Arizona." His voice had dropped to barely audible again, and Face frowned faintly in worry, slipping an arm around Murdock's shoulders. His back was so tense under the jacket, and Face wasn't surprised considering the odd position the pilot was in. He was leaning over against Face, but didn't have his arms to help hold him up. Gently Face moved them so his back was against the wall with Murdock leaning against him, face still hidden against his shoulder. The pilot went without argument, moving like a mannequin.

"Wish you were really here, Face…" Murdock mumbled, tensing up and shaking a little, "Wouldn't hurt so bad…" The words nearly broke the blond's heart, and he wrapped his other arm around Murdock's shoulder.

"I am here, Murdock, I promise I am." He assured, but was starting to realise it was unlikely Murdock would believe him.

"That's nice of you to say…I want to believe it…maybe just for a little while." Murdock's voice was still watery but sounded like he was surrendering.

"Believe it." Face said quietly. He was still a little on edge. He didn't know if Murdock relaxing meant that he was recovering from the psychosis, or if he was going to start again soon.

"You know I hate you sometimes…" Murdock mumbled after a moment, sniffing quietly and Face could feel him frown a little against his shoulder. He didn't ask anything, waiting for the pilot to continue, "Not…not hate hate…but…I…I…" He shook his head, wiping his eyes against the white coat, "I...I want to go to Arizona, Face…please let's go there…I think…I think it would be hot enough there…and we wouldn't have to be ice…wouldn't have to freeze."

It was dawning on Face now what Murdock was getting at, why he wanted Face there, but Face didn't know if it was just the crazy talking or if that was how he really felt. And he didn't know if he'd have the heart to ask him once he was better.

"You're like…like…sugar-coated razorblades…" Murdock mumbled, "Taste so good…hurt so bad…always…always hurts so bad…" Murdock's voice was dying out as he leaned more against Face, and he hated the feel of the pilot's arms bound tight around his stomach.

"Sweet…sweet misery. That's what you are, you know?" The pilot breathed, "Sweet misery…hurts so bad…"

"I'm sorry." Face told him quietly, sadness in his voice. He had never realised he was causing Murdock so much pain. But the pilot didn't seem to hear him, and his voice got weaker as he slowly slid into unconsciousness.

"Took my arms, Face…took my arms right off…cant…cant fly no more…not without my arms…cant fly…cant fly to Arizona, Face…we're gonna freeze…"

"It's okay…we can take the train."


	2. Things That Matter

Title is from a Rascal Flatts' song. Also, this story took an unexpected turn in the form of being way longer than I intended. This was only supposed to be to sum up all the loose ends.

* * *

Arizona. Every time that particular state was mentioned Face was put on edge. Arizona. It was so hot there. Hotter than California, hotter than anywhere else in the whole of the United States. And they hadn't had a mission there yet, not since…

"_I...I want to go to Arizona, Face…please let's go there…I think…I think it would be hot enough there…and we wouldn't have to be ice…wouldn't have to freeze."_

When Murdock had finally woken against Face he seemed to be past the worst of the psychotic break, but claimed not to remember most of it. He said he remembered calling Hannibal but not what they had spoken of, and although he didn't seem surprised that Face was there, he said he didn't remember him ever arriving. Face had wanted to ask more whilst it was still fresh and he had the courage, but Murdock had looked so fragile and tired he couldn't bear to put him through any more stress.

Instead, he had gently helped the pilot to his feet and onto the bed, undoing the buckles on the straightjacket when he asked him to quietly. Once his arms were free Murdock had just crawled under the covers of the bed and curled up. His eyes looked haunted and his skin was pale, but he seemed to be functioning, and he even tried a small smile as he glanced at Face, taking in his concerned expression.

"Don't go worrying about me, Face." He assured, but his voice was flat and listless, "Be right as rain in no time." He looked away then and Face knew that it was a signal that he should leave.

Since then no one had mentioned the incident, avoiding the topic like a taboo every time Murdock had joined them in missions. Face supposed that made sense, they weren't the kind of men that really shared their innermost feelings, and he was sure that Murdock was uncomfortable and probably embarrassed by the topic. But still, Face found himself intensely frustrated. He had so many questions, and it didn't look like he was going to get any answers.

And Arizona. That word haunted him.

He had tried thinking about what it would mean if Murdock did have feelings for him, but he just ran himself into circles. If the pilot did feel for him, and that was making him miserable, then of course he would want to help his friend, but what could he offer but a flat-out rejection? Face made it perfectly clear to everyone he encountered that he was straight, and that he very much enjoyed the company of women, but he didn't want to hurt Murdock. They had been through so much together, he owed him more than that.

The more he thought on it, the more the idea of giving Murdock a 'trial-run' grew on him. At first the idea of dating a man, even just experimentally, made his skin prickle and creep a little, but he had a lot of time to get distracted by the idea, and the more he thought the more it seemed like the best course of action. He was an open-minded guy, after all, and when it didn't work out he was sure both he and Murdock would be able to move on and forget it like mature adults.

Of course, that all depended on Murdock bringing up the subject.

It also depended on whether he actually did have feeling for him, or if all that talk of Arizona had just been the ramblings of a confused and fragile man in the midst of a psychotic break.

It irritated and frustrated Face that the idea of it being the latter gave him a sense of disappointment. But he had made a grand plan. He kind of wanted to see it through now.

"Face, go break Murdock out, we're going to need him for this." Hannibal's voice cut through Face's train of thought, and he looked up at the Colonel with an agreeing expression to hide the fact that he hadn't been listening. Hannibal saw right through him.

"Go get Murdock." He reiterated slowly, and Face gave him a thin smile.

"Sure, because that's just as easy as fetching milk from the supermarket, right?" He knew his argument was futile, but he didn't want them taking him for granted, "It's not like they ask any questions or anything." Hannibal was ignoring him and he gave up with a small annoyed noise.

"So where are we going anyway?" He asked as he grabbed the keys to his corvette and headed for the door.

"Arizona." Hannibal was saying more, something about getting a plane, and that started BA off, but Face hadn't heard more than 'Arizona'.

"…_he likes it hot, Hannibal…hot like fire… h-hot like Arizona…"_

"…_wish I could be hot…hot like Arizona." _

Arizona ran around his head the entire drive to the VA. He was trying to make some kind of decision on how to approach the situation. In the end he could only come up with seeing how Murdock took the news that they would be going to Arizona. Face knew that he was only really working with whether Murdock remembered what he had said during the psychotic break or not. That was Face's only way in as he saw it, and if Murdock didn't remember then he was certain that would never get the answers to his questions.

It all depended on Arizona.

His plan of action was to park away from the VA, enter on foot posing as a family member, then charm his way into letting he and Murdock go for a walk on the grounds. He was sure he could think of some sentimental story to feed the nurses to let them go. After all, what could be the harm? And then once they were out, they would run like hell and hope for the best.

Okay, so it wasn't his best plan, but he was starting to run thin on foolproof methods.

And also, he wanted a little time alone with Murdock where he was relaxed so he could gauge his reaction when he mentioned where they were going.

Getting in was easy, of course, and there were new nurses it seemed, which was perfect. He wasn't particularly disguised, a pair of glasses, hair pushed a different way and a British accent, but he didn't plan on leaving much of an impression. He introduced himself to the pretty nurse at the reception as Murdock's cousin, visiting from dreary old London on a business trip. The nurse was only too happy to lead the way, sensing no foul-play and more than a little enamoured by Face's charm, which he put on without even trying.

He even managed to get the walk in the ground sorted with little difficulty. At first she looked unsure when he brought it up, but after a bit of persuading, and insistence on how very much it would mean to him, she finally agreed. Naturally an orderly would have to come along to keep an eye on Murdock, but otherwise a short walk couldn't do any harm, right?

"Oh thank you, you don't know how much this will mean to us." He bent to kiss her hand, and he knew by her coy giggle that he had her in his clutches.

"Of course, sir. Anything more I can do for you? Anything at all…" He feigned a small amount of fluster at her forwardness, and laughed softly.

"No no, that's all, my dear, but thank you for all your help." He dipped his head before opening the door into Murdock's room and going in, regretfully leaving the pouting nurse behind.

Murdock was at an arcade game, but he looked over when Face entered, expression lighting up.

"Cousin Murdock!" Face said immediately before the pilot could blow his cover before he got the door shut. Only after he had shut the door did Murdock step away from his game, going around his room to grab his things.

"Faceman! How good to see you! We got another mission? Another damsel in distress?" He asked as he sat down on the bed to pull on and lace up his well-worn Converse.

"Sure do. If you like your damsels with chest-hair and moustaches, that is." Face replied with a laugh

"Where we off to? Do we get to fly?" The air of excitement at the idea of flying came off Murdock in waves, and was not dampened by the fact that he was still bent over doing up his shoes.

"Yep. You gotta fly us to Arizona." Face was watching him so hard he was sure the pilot could feel his gaze like a prodding finger, but he needn't of bothered. Murdock's pause would have been obvious even to someone who hadn't been paying attention.

He'd paused. Actually, visibly and definitely faltered when Face had said Arizona, and although he couldn't see his expression, Face was sure that his eyes must have widened. Even the silence was measurable. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was tense.

"Heard it's hot in Arizona." Murdock finally said as he resumed lacing his shoes, but his hands moves slower than before. His voice was lower than usual, less confident, and Face wanted to believe it was because he was trying him.

"Yeah. Too hot for my tastes, really, but we go where we're needed right?" He hadn't anticipated that line of thought, and hoped he had given the right answer. Was he supposed to say he preferred it colder so Murdock wouldn't think he was unreachable, or that it would be good for them to be in hot Arizona together?

A small amount of disappointment flooded through him as Murdock finished tying his shoes and straightened with a goofy smile. It made it seem like Murdock had made whatever decision he had needed and was acting like nothing odd had happened.

"Really Faceman? You're not looking forward to all those scantily-clad young women?" Murdock asked brightly as he grabbed his hat, "The hotter it is, the less they wear, you know." He added, still grinning, and Face tried to shrug it off, but damn if he wasn't thinking about naïve young swimwear models now. It was only in that second that he realised that if he did pursue anything with Murdock whilst in Arizona, he would be missing out on a lot of women that he would never have to see again once their mission was done.

Damn.

But he had a plan, and he was determined to see it through. Whenever he planned to clear up whatever it was that needed sorting between he and Murdock was going to mean a short time of abstinence, he reasoned. And Arizona was perfect after all. He couldn't afford to miss this opportunity. And on a scale of things that mattered to him, Murdock did strike higher than hypothetical women he might have a chance of sleeping with, even if the margin was small sometimes.

"Well, you know." Face shrugged again, acting blasé when he was actually watching Murdock very carefully, "Sometimes a guy just wants a bit of a change."

The escape went as smoothly as any plan with the main factor being running like hell and hoping for the best could be expected to go. They had had to punch an orderly in the face, which Face did feel guilty about, but after that they were already halfway to the street by the time anyone realised what was going on. And damn if Murdock couldn't run. He already had the car running by the time Face caught up and leapt head-first into the passenger seat, breathing hard as Murdock floored the gas and they accelerated off down the street.

Once they were clear of any danger, both of them started laughing.

"Well, as far as plans go, that was not one of your best, muchacho." Murdock grinned as Face finally pushed himself up from his sprawled position over the rest of the front seat. He'd had his head propped up in an awkward angle against he pilot's side, and as he sat up and pulled his now-cold leg in from where it had been hanging over the door, he didn't realise how close they were. Luckily Murdock had his eyes on the road as Face turned his head to look at him and didn't see the brief startled expression the conman gained before quickly moving away.

He didn't know why he hadn't jumped in the back seats, where he would have had plenty of space to land, but he decided to remember that if he ever had to dive headfirst into his car again, he would aim for the rear.

"Hey, the hardest part is always getting outside, right?" Face argued with a grin, "And we're out."

"Yeah yeah, that's all fine and dandy for you, Mr. Faceman." Murdock replied in what was obviously put-on irritation, "But they ain't never gonna trust me outside on my own again. And I like it outside, Face, smells nice."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Face waved him off, "They cant keep you locked up inside. They're just going to have to increase security is all." He settled on the passenger side of the car, arm resting on the door.

"I hope the orderly's alright." Murdock changed the subject and Face didn't even question it, "Felt bad having to give him one, you know? I like him, good guy, gave me extra pudding a few times."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, he's in a hospital after all." Face assured with a confident smile, and Murdock glanced over briefly, eyebrows lifted, then nodded.

"You're probably right, but I like pudding…"

The rest of the drive continued in an odd silence. Again, it wasn't awkward, and not tense either, and Face supposed it was only odd because it was so strange that Murdock was being so quiet. But it was evident that both men were in deep thought, and the times that Face looked over to make sure the pilot was alright he saw that Murdock's expression was closed-off, eyes intense, and he wondered what was going through that labyrinth of a mind of his.

They went straight to the airport where Hannibal was waiting. BA was already unconscious and none of them asked by what means Hannibal had done it.

Within minutes Face and Murdock had commandeered a plane, both dressed in disguises, just in case. The disguises came off as soon as they had secured and boarded the plane. Face helped Hannibal with BA then offered to keep Murdock company in the cockpit. There was nothing altruistic in his intentions, he just didn't want to be around in case BA woke up.

They were already in the air when Face settled in the passenger seat, and Murdock was speaking cheerfully through the intercom about flying procedure and no smocking signs. Face had seen Hannibal taking a lighter to his cigar as soon as they get BA settled, so he knew that was pointless.

"Nothing like flying, Faceman, best thing in the world!" Murdock told him enthusiastically, a broad grin on his face, and the conman noted with amusement that the pilot hadn't taken off the fake glasses he had been wearing when they had 'relieved' the airport of the plane. Looking at it objectively, he had to admit that Murdock did suit the glasses, although they weren't exactly in keeping with his character. They made him look studious and harmless, and (particularly when he was being British and flustered) adorable.

Face decided not to tell him he had the glasses on, and instead just joined his idle banter. Not that Murdock really needed him to join in, he knew the Captain would sit there and happily talk to himself for the entire journey if they let him.

Murdock kept them updated during the flight of their position, cheerfully announcing it to the cabin through the intercom.

"And if you look out of any window of your choosing you will see that we are now passing into Arizona airspace." His bubbly tone had bait in it, and Face could see that he was ever so slightly tense. And he wasn't looking at him. Hadn't looked at him for the last half hour actually. Well that was fine, Face had a million ways in, he just had to make sure his tone was right.

"Feeling warmer now?" He asked, voice interested. Murdock had tensed at the mention of Arizona back at the VA. That meant he remembered. And Face had all the go-ahead he needed for his plan.

He had his eyes on Murdock, and saw as the pilot darted a glance out the side of the glasses at him. The Captain's expression was uncertain as he looked forward again, jaw tensing indecisively a few time before he slowly answered, "Too high to tell, Faceman." He said, eyes staying locked to the clouds they were passing through, "Maybe you should ask again when we land."

Time and options. Murdock was smart, he knew was Face had been getting at, but he had delivered an answer that gave them both time to think, and gave Face time to change his mind. He was a genius. And Face appreciated that. He had decided on his course of action, but time to smooth out the wrinkles that kept forming was good. One of them was going to have to make the first move, right? He was used to that with women, but he didn't know how it worked with men.

Murdock was the taller out of them, did that mean he was in charge? No, that was stupid. Well, Face did have more experience, but not with men. Did Murdock have experience with men? He had seen him with women before, which was another thing that made him more confused. He had assumed Murdock was as straight as he was. Had he just been faking it? No, Murdock wasn't the kind to play with women's feelings, and he also wasn't the kind to do something he didn't want to. So he went both ways? That made Face feel a little better about that plan of his. If he could somehow work at least one woman into the equation he was sure everything would go much more pleasantly.

Not that he expected it to go bad. He was willing to go in with an open mind, but a feminine failsafe put him much more at ease.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice they were making their decent until his stomach dropped out and he blinked around at the windows, spotting the runaway approaching at high speed. He knew everything was normal, but seeing it from the front of the plane was always a little daunting. But the rush of speed as they hit the tarmac was exhilarating.

Murdock would usually be howling, singing or speaking enthusiastically over the intercom at this point, but he was oddly silent, and as Face looked over to him he saw the guarded expression the pilot wore. And he knew why. He guessed Murdock was anxious about whether he was going to ask the question again.

Face waited until the plane had stopped moving before looking again to Murdock, who was taking the headset off and reaching inside his jacket for his baseball cap.

"So…?" He asked, eyebrows lifted as Murdock looked to him curiously, "Feeling warmer?" Again, Murdock looked pensive, and lifted his hand to rub briefly at his face. He looked surprised as his fingers encountered the glasses and moved to take them off, but Face reached over to stop him by the wrists. Face knew stalling for time when he saw it.

"Hard not to be hot here, Faceman." Murdock's voice was an unsure murmur, eyes darting everywhere but at the conman, "Hottest state in America." He added in an attempt to justify his answer. He was too open, too easy to read. It was written all over the pilot's face that he was uncertain about the situation, probably convincing himself that he was misreading Face completely.

"You know, I think I changed my mind." Face said after a moment, smiling in his charming way when Murdock finally looked at him with a small frown. Face lifted his hands from Murdock's wrists to gently take the glasses off the pilot, folding them neatly, "Maybe Arizona isn't too hot." He put the glasses in his own pocket for safe keeping before edging closer to the pilot, taking in his guarded surprise with a smile. He didn't know where this courage had come from, but someone had to make the first move, and it was obvious that Murdock was too unsure.

"It…it's not?" The pilot asked slowly, eyes darting down briefly when Face's fingertips lightly brushed his knee. Nothing too bold, just gauging his reaction. Murdock looked like one loud noise would send him bolting off into the sunset, but he didn't react badly to the touch, and Face was encouraged.

"Mmhmm." He nodded, "I think maybe it's just right." He said softly, before leaning in.

They were close, _so close. Face could feel the pilot's slightly rapid breaths against his lips, and was thinking how odd it was that he wasn't uncomfortable with the whole situation. Then…_

"_I'm on a plane! Hannibal! I'm on a plane Hannibal! You know I told you I aint flying on no plane! Get me out of here! If that fool Murdock flew us somewhere I'm gonna fly my fists into your faces!"_


	3. My Own Worst Enemy

Title is a song from a band called 'Lit'.

* * *

The mission had taken only three days to complete, less than any of them had anticipated. For once, each of their plans had gone ahead without fault, and they soon found themselves with time to spare and money to spend. They had been so busy with the mission that Face hadn't had any chance to catch Murdock alone to finish what they had started, and there was a nagging worry at the back of his head that they were both going to lose their resolve. Murdock had been slightly off with him after what nearly happened in the cockpit, but not so much that Hannibal or BA noticed. Just a bit quieter, and Face could tell he was avoiding looking at him.

"Ain't no way I'm flying, Hannibal, no way. And I'm not letting you drug me again! That's the last time that's ever happening." Face walked into their hotel room to find BA giving his usual tirade to Hannibal, who was just smiling amiably.

"Of course not BA." He said reassuringly, chewing on the end of his cigar, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Yeah right." BA said gruffly before marching around to the bedside drawer and yanking it open so hard Face was surprised he didn't pull it right out. He drew out two tickets, thrusting them in Hannibal's face.

"There. We're taking the train." He told him, and Hannibal lifted his eyebrows as he took the slips of paper.

"You thought this through, BA." He commended, "But…ah…there's four of us, and only **two** tickets."

"I aint buying them tickets." BA told him brusquely, "They wanna come with us, they can buy their own damn tickets. Crazy foo' probably wanna fly anyway." He didn't even look at Murdock, who grinned in full agreement. He was sat in a well-worn armchair and watching them. He'd looked over briefly when Face had entered, but quickly looked away again.

"Well, how thoughtful Sergeant." Hannibal looked pleased that at least he didn't have to spend his own money buying the cross-country train ticket, "I guess we do have a couple days free, why not?" BA looked more settled now that he knew he wasn't going to get drugged or hit and wake up 30 000 feet in the air.

Hannibal looked to Face and Murdock, "Guess you better save some of that money for your tickets, men."

This was perfect. The way things had been falling into place it just seemed like it was fate. Face had been trying to think of a reason for them to stay in Arizona for a bit longer. Arizona was the key to everything, they had to stay there. And now he had the chance to get rid of Hannibal and BA as well, it was ideal.

"No thanks, if it's all the same." He was wearing a sarcastic smile, "I'd rather not spend my hard-earned money on a ticket to ride in a metal box through the hottest states in America. Not when a plane can get us there in just a couple hours. But thanks for the offer, really." The insincerity was dripping off him, and BA curled his lip in irritation. Even if he hadn't had plans for their time there, he wouldn't have got on a train. What was the point? Flying was far more comfortable by far, and even in a couple days the plane they had commandeered would probably still be sitting on the runway whilst the officials tried to figure out what to do with it.

Hannibal seemed nonplussed and just looked to Murdock, "You alright with that?" The captain nodded eagerly.

"Faceman's offering me a chance in the air, who am I to refuse?" He glanced briefly at Face, but his eyes were hard to read.

"Alright then. We'll rendezvous in LA when our train gets in." He nodded, going to get his bag. Face assumed that meant their train was going soon.

"Well, ah, actually, I was thinking…" Face began, avoiding the suspicious eyes Hannibal immediately trained on him, "Since we _were_ planning on being here at least a couple days longer, that maybe we could…"

"Take a holiday?" Hannibal gave the impression he was amused and exasperated, and that he had been expecting it.

"Just a couple days, Hannibal. We wont get back much later than you. And it's not like we usually get another mission right away anyway." Face reasoned, giving the Colonel a hopeful smile. Hannibal observed him with a thoughtful expression, chewing languidly on his cigar. Face felt like he was being weighed, measure and found wanting, and the pregnant silence was nearly palpable.

"Alright." Hannibal finally said and started for the door like he hadn't just been making his Lieutenant sweat it out, "You can have the rest of the day, and tomorrow, but I want you back in LA the day after." He told Face as he held the door, BA going through and waiting at the other side.

"Oh, thank you Hannibal. You don't know how much I appreciate this." Face gushed, piling it on a little thick.

"Just don't get in trouble. And don't abandon Murdock." Hannibal told him. If only he knew, Face thought with a mental grin. The Colonel waved bye to Murdock and gave Face a pointed look before heading out after BA.

Face breathed out a sigh of relief as he shut the door, leaning back against it with a grin, "Piece of cake." He said to Murdock, who was looking over but his expression was oddly serious. There was an alertness to him that Face hadn't often seen. Not to say that the Captain wasn't alert, he just didn't usually show it.

"So what's the plan, Face?" He asked, standing up from the chair.

"Plan? Well…there's no plan, per se." Face watched the pilot go to the window, "I just thought we could enjoy some time here, you know, together. In Arizona." He took a step forward. He felt like he was about to start hiccupping butterflies, but didn't let it deter him as he slowly went over to Murdock.

"It's a cruel trick you're playing Faceman, if you're just leading me on." Murdock said with a troubled tone, frowning a little to himself as he watched out of the window.

"Hey, it's not a trick, okay?" Face insisted, stopping beside him, "I just…want to give it a try, alright? I'm not going to make any promises and say 'yeah, I'm sure I can forget all about women and we're gonna be great', but I don't want to keep hurting you, you know? And if this helps…"

Murdock looked to him then sighed, "This is all because of what I said…" He sounded frustrated, "I didn't mean to say any of that stuff, you know. It was just like…like, my head was short circuiting…" He waved his hand at his head with frustration "And I **don't** remember a lot of it…" He looked uncomfortable, and Face put a hand on his arm to try and reassure him, but the pilot pulled away and stepped back, "I'm sorry Face, I didn't mean to drag you into this, you should just forget all about it, alright? You'll waste your time here if you go chasing something you don't really want." He half-grinned, but Face saw right through it.

"Hey, don't go telling me what I want. I don't know what I want yet, which is why I want to give it a try." He insisted, "And there's plenty of other states with other girls, Arizona is only special because it's you." He almost blushed at how corny that sounded, and the quirk of Murdock's lips proved that he had noticed as well, and Face quickly continued.

"Alright, how about this? We've got two evenings here, right? How about we go out, you know, like a date, and see what happens?" He suggested. It seemed like a good idea. If it didn't work, then they could just be two bachelors out for a night, no problem.

"I don't know, Face…" Murdock seemed dubious, but intrigued.

"No no, it's a great idea." Face assured, "Tonight, I'll pick where we go, and tomorrow you can pick, that sound alright?"

Murdock fixed him with a thoughtful expression before he finally relaxed with a yielding smile, "Alright, sure, why not?"

"Great." Face grinned and turned towards the door, already formulating a plan "I'll meet you back here at 7." That gave him just over 3 hours to prepare. Plenty of time.

He loved it when a plan came together.

Face knocked on the door at 6:57, adjusting his tie as he waited for Murdock to answer. The seconds felt like hours, more than enough time for him to worry about Murdock running out and leaving him there, or changing his mind.

Eventually the door swung open, and Face breathed a silent sigh of relief. The pilot was well groomed and attired in a smart, fitted suit that accented his slim form nicely. Apparently he had been able to predict the appropriate dress for the evening.

"You're early, Faceman." Murdock told him with a grin. It was good to see him in higher spirits.

"Well, I can come back later, if you're busy." Face feigned sincerely, turning as though to leave.

"No no no, might as well go now, to wait would just throw our whole evening off-kilter. Best be early and accept the consequences." The pilot said gravely as he stepped out and locked the door. They had all been sharing the same room, but the last out tended to keep the key.

"Alright then, our lift is outside." Face told him, smiling in amusement. He wasn't quite sure of his etiquette; to a woman he would have offered his arm or put his arm around her shoulder, but he only imagined Murdock would take his arm in jest, and there were height issues that meant Face would never be able to comfortably sling his arm over the pilot's shoulders.

In the end they just walked out onto the street in comfortable silence, both smiling reservedly.

There was a limo waiting outside for them, and Face was pleased to see Murdock looked impressed, especially so when the driver got out to open the door for them. The Captain gave him a grin before ducking to get in, and by the time Face took a seat next to him he was already pressing all the buttons curiously.

"Murdock, you've been in a limo before, you know what's in here." Face laughed in exasperation as Murdock turned on the AC then turned it back off.

"Oh, but this one looks different. They might have different things." Murdock insisted, opening the compartments and looking in. There were candy bars and drinks, lotions, perfumes, combs, mirrors and even a pack of condoms that Face was amused to see.

"What are you looking for, Murdock?" It did look like the pilot was searching for something.

"I heard that in every limo there is required, by law, to be a switch that turns on the anti-gravity." He said in all the seriousness that usually accompanied his crazy ideas, "People wouldn't say it if it wasn't true." Face couldn't help laughing and just let him do what he wanted, even when he got down on the floor to try and see if there was anything under the seats.

What the driver thought when he opened the door to find Murdock on his knees, Face couldn't be bothered to worry about, and just climbed out with a pleasant smile. He offered his hand to Murdock to help him out, and the pilot did a poor job of hiding his surprise and hesitation. After a second he took it with a smile and climbed out, both trying to act like it didn't feel strange as they quickly let go and headed into the very posh and pricey restaurant.

"Table for two, Peck." Face said as they approached the Maître D'. The man looked them over, then nodded.

"Of course, sirs, right this way." He lead them through a pleasantly filled restaurant to a table near the window at the edge of the other diners, so they were partially secluded. Face hadn't requested this, but it was nice nonetheless. The Maître D' seemed uncertain about who he was supposed to be pulling a chair out for, so they both just sat down in his moments of hesitance. He looked relieved as he handed them their menus and informed them someone would be over to take their order shortly before leaving.

The meal was pleasant, but uneventful by anyone's standards, and it was obvious by the end of it both of them were a little disheartened. There had been no accidental hand-touching, no coy smiles, nothing so easy as 'Lady and the Tramp'. They had conversed pleasantly, laughing about BA and Hannibal on a hot train, and the dinner hadn't been an unpleasant experience, but anticlimactic didn't even begin to describe it. Even the couple of glasses of wine hadn't urged things on, although it had made conversation even easier.

Finally Face had to call for the bill, unable to drag it out any longer, and the disappointment was clear on Murdock's face.

"Hey, night's not over yet." he assured with a charming grin, and the pilot perked up immediately.

"We're going somewhere else?" Murdock asked and Face nodded.

"I managed to get us on the guest list for a very exclusive party." He told him as he paid the bill then stood to lead the way out. Murdock was on his heels eagerly, walking a little closer than they had earlier so that every now and then their shoulders brushed.

The limo was waiting outside for them and they both got in immediately. The driver didn't need telling where to go, Face had informed him of the plans when he had hired him, and they were immediately off, heading into the private districts. Murdock didn't go rooting through the vehicle this time, but instead opened the sunroof and stood up, grinning happily as the city whizzed by.

"Hey Face, get up here." Murdock called down to him. Usually Face would have refused, but the fact that this was supposed to be a date, and probably the glasses of wine, meant that instead he decided to oblige him. Standing up next to Murdock they both just managed to fit through the sunroof, but they were very close. Murdock didn't seem to notice, though, and Face didn't mention it, just screwing up his face a little as the wind hit him.

"Isn't this great?" Murdock asked him over the howl of the wind, and Face made a half-hearted agreeing noise, laughing a little at the ridiculousness of the situation. If Hannibal could see them now they would both have been in for a chastising, "I tell you, Face, I wish I could do this in an airplane." Murdock said breathlessly, grinning happily, "Someone should invent that, that would be fantastic! 500 miles per hour, 30 000 feet, now **that would be a rush."**

"**It would probably take your head off." Face laughed, looking around. It was nice out there, even if it was terrible for his hair and skin, "Maybe we should get back in now, we're nearly there." He added as he ducked back into the limo before they could be spotted by the police. Murdock stayed out a bit longer before finally sitting down, windswept and breathless but grinning brightly at the conman.**

**They stopped at the gate of a stately mansion, but after Face had rattled off a fake name and fake credentials into the intercom they were allowed in. The driveway seemed to go on for ever but eventually the limo pulled up in front of the house. There were guards all over the outside, but the sounds of partying were prominent through the open doors. Milling around were men of all ages, and young women in skimpy outfits.**

"**What's this party for again?" Murdock asked as they climbed out, noticing that Face had neglected to offer his hand again but not thinking too much on it.**

"**A big film director is having a party for actors and managers, you know. To build contacts." Of course, all that had probably happened a lot earlier, now it was just a lot of drunk people having fun, "Well come on, this is going to be a lot better than any dingy club in the city." He flashed a charming smile before leading the way in, Murdock following after him curiously.**

**The sheer amount of alcohol on offer was impressive, and Murdock seemed fascinated by all the different colours. Face was happy just to pick up a scotch and watch the pilot pick up half a dozen different drinks. **

"**You're going to be on your ass if you drink all that." Face laughed as he relieved Murdock of four of the drinks.**

"**But I want to try all of them, Face, they all look so tasty!" He argued, but just kept the two he had, sniffing at a bright red one before taking a small drink, expression lighting up in surprise, "It tastes like watermelon! Try it." he insistently held the glass out to Face, who tried to decline, but Murdock was so insistent it was either take the drink or wear the drink. Obligingly he took a sip from the drink then handed it back.**

"**It's very nice, Murdock." He smiled, the pilot placated and grinning.**

"**Well, how about we go mingle? You can practice your repartee." Face suggested, taking a step away from the drinks table. Murdock appeared to think it over before nodding, donning a Scottish accent and a haughty expression.**

"**Certainly, that sounds like an acceptable plan." He agreed, following after Face.**

**For a couple of hours they had great fun talking to the other guests, posing as different characters and different nationalities. At one point Murdock was a Scandinavian director, and Face was his partner and translator. Murdock was speaking in Vietnamese (the woman they were talking to didn't know the difference), and Face knew enough of the language to understand what he was saying, and in the end it devolved into a game of Murdock trying to make Face laugh, and Face having to keep a poker face and falsely translate what Murdock was saying.**

**And the good amount of alcohol they had consumed wasn't helping Face any.**

"**[Tell her I like her dress.]" Murdock told him in an aloof tone, and the woman looked between them with wide expectant eyes.**

"**He says he likes your dress." Face said with a smile, trying not to sound as suspicious as he was. She smiled and blushed and thanked him, hands running over the little white dress that barely covered the essentials.**

"**[Do you think it would suit me?]" Face coughed into his drink, fighting hard not to laugh. On its own the statement would have been amusing, but coupled with the offhand tone Murdock had said it in, as well as the fact that he wasn't allowed to laugh and had to translate it as something less ridiculous made it downright hilarious. And of course, Murdock had a perfect poker face, even though Face was sure he had drunk more of those brightly coloured drinks than was good for him.**

"**He um…thinks it compliments your hair in a lovely way." Face managed to get out, jaw very tightly clenched, but she didn't seem to notice, just very pleased to be noticed by such important people.**

"**[I think I've got the legs for it.]" Murdock continued.**

"**[Should I ask if you can borrow it?]" Face asked him in broken Vietnamese, but Murdock understood. He asked with a pleasant smile, but his eyes were filled with amusement and annoyance.**

"**[Sure.]" Murdock called his bluff, and Face came close to going through with it before it occurred to him that Murdock wouldn't hesitate to actually put the dress on, and finally lost his fight with laughter. The images of the scene he would make were just too funny, and he barely managed to excuse them from the very confused woman before he became too incoherent. **

**Not wanting to draw a scene, they went out a side door whilst Face tried to recover.**

"**You're such a pain. Next time I get to speak a foreign language and you can translate." He finally complained through laughter, leaning against Murdock because the wall was cold and his head was spinning a little from the laughter and the drink.**

"**You think you can beat me, Faceman?" Murdock asked with a challenging grin, arm around Face's back and resting on his opposite hip. That was the nice thing about alcohol, it made the things that seemed risky before very easy, and Face didn't mind at all, looking up at the pilot with a smirk.**

"**I think I should get to try. Only fair." He reasoned with lifted eyebrows, lifting a hand to prod the pilot's chest, "You do cause me a lot of hassle." He didn't seem put off when Murdock grabbed his hand to stop him prodding.**

"**Well, if you wanna try, but don't get your hopes up." He told the conman, both of them starting to realise the position they were in. Face's fingers curled a little in indecision before he finally pulled back, trying to grin naturally.**

"**Well, come on then, before people stop caring what we say to them." He said, and Murdock followed him as he started in. The pilot was trying to look natural as well, but his disappointment was all too obvious. They both knew they had bottled out.**

**In the end they got too drunk to keep trying to con people, and despite a valiant effort, Face had been unable to get even a smile out of Murdock, the pilot's expression perfect as he lied about what Face had been saying to them. Eventually they just started talking and mingling naturally, the drunk conversations varying from the meaning of life to the meaning of lettuce, and inevitably they got separated.**

**For a while Murdock didn't notice, fully absorbed in a conversation with three other people about theoretical methods of lift and propulsion, although no one accepted his theory about trash bags and hairdryers. After the conversation had died down, Murdock looked around for Face but couldn't see him anywhere. He meandered around for a bit, frowning a little when he still couldn't find him. He check all the different room, the bathrooms, even the rooms he wasn't supposed to, but couldn't see him anywhere, before he finally decided to check outside. The outside pool was off-limits, and the doors leading to it were locked, so when he found the double-glass doors that lead outside unlocked he immediately got suspicious.**

**Once outside, Face wasn't hard to spot, and nor was the blonde woman he was kissing. They were in the pool, Face still fully clothed, and had his arms around the woman's back, who was only in her underwear.**

**Murdock felt like he had been punched in the chest, and had Face been within arms reach he probably would have returned the favour to his face. His legs felt like lead, and his fingers clenched at his sides. He couldn't move a muscle, couldn't even look away, and hadn't regained his voice even after the time it took Face to notice they were being watched.**

**Immediately he pushed the woman away, a guilty and shocked expression on his face, "M-Murdock! This isn't- She-!" He couldn't even come up with a good excuse.**

**Murdock's expression was full of hurt and disappointment, but what hurt the most for Face was that he didn't look anywhere near as angry or disgusted as he could have. It was like he had been expecting it. The pilot shifted his gaze down to the ground before turning away and going back in. He did at least slam the door on his way in.**

"**Murdock wait!" Face dragged himself out of the pool, running as fast as he could after the pilot, which wasn't fast considering he was soaking wet. He finally managed to catch up to the Captain on the front yard and he caught him by the wrist, pulling him up short.**

"**Murdock, please, let me explain." He pleaded, out of breath. Murdock half turned but didn't look at him.**

"**You don't need to explain, Face, it's fine." He said shortly, trying to pull his wrist free, but Face wouldn't let ago.**

"**No, no it's not. I didn't mean…it's just…we were just talking, and the she…the pool. It wasn't my idea." He knew he'd screwed up, but his mind was so addled he could hardly put a story together.**

"**It's fine!" Murdock snapped and yanked his arm free, "You want her, then fine! Go have her! Just stop…stop stringing me along." Face was shocked by his outburst, and tried to stutter a response, but this time Murdock did give him a disgusted look before turning heel and heading to the limo. Face was left with little choice but to follow, it was their only ride home, and he tried to squeeze some of the water out of his clothes before getting in.**

**The ride back to the hotel was awkward and unpleasant, sat as far away from each other as they could get. Face was looking sorry for himself, and this only seemed to make Murdock more annoyed, and by the time they pulled up in front of the hotel the pilot shouldered past the conman hard to get out first. Face tried to keep stride with him, wary that Murdock might lock him out of the room if he got there first.**

**Once in, Face went to the bathroom to get out of his wet clothes, and by the time he got back Murdock had already shut off the lights and climbed into one of the 3 single beds in the room. With a sigh, Face could only climb into the bed furthest away from Murdock's and try to sleep. He was sure Murdock wasn't asleep, but couldn't think of anything to say. He was so angry and frustrated with himself, even more so because he knew he only felt like that because he'd been caught.**

**And now he had hurt Murdock all over again.**


	4. Fly Me To The Moon

If you don't know who sang 'Fly Me To The Moon' you should be ashamed.

'Pricilla's' is actually a gay bar in Leith in Edinburgh that I regretfully never worked up the courage to go in to...

* * *

The first thought that came into Face's head when he woke was that he wished he was still asleep. A pained groan escaped him as he pushed his head more into the pillow, trying to block out the light that aggravated his splitting headache. Every tiny noise felt like a herd of elephants crashing across his head, and everything else about him just felt plain rotten. And the taste in his mouth was best left unspoken of.

Eventually he couldn't stand laying there any longer and finally lifted his head, quickly brought out of his bleary-eyed observation of the room when he realised Murdock was sitting at the end of his bed. The pilot was already dressed and holding out a cup of coffee to the conman, expression hard to read.

"Uh…" Face's voice crackled and broke halfway through, and he cleared his throat before trying again, "Thanks." He reached out and took the cup gratefully, hesitating as he sat up when memories of the night before came crashing back like a tidal wave. He looked down awkwardly, knowing Murdock was doing the same. The silence was palpable and uncomfortable as they both sipped at their coffee.

Face used the time to gather his thoughts and clear his head before he finally worked up the nerve to speak.

"Look, Murdock, about last night-"

"It's alright, Face, you don't gotta explain anything." Murdock shook his head, looking over to Face with a thin smile that was all show, "I'm sorry I got so mad at you. Lots to drink, you know?" He shrugged and stood, walking away from the bed.

"No, it's not alright." Face insisted, "I screwed up bad, Murdock and I'm sorry. I…I don't know why I let that happen. It just…" Face looked imploringly at the pilot, who had a guarded expression.

"Really Face, it's fine." Murdock was trying to dismiss it, "How 'bout we get going home today? I think Arizona's too hot for my tastes." he said it amiably, but the words made Face cringe.

"Murdock, please." Face got up, swaying a little at his head spun and stomach churned, but he quickly composed himself and went over to the Captain, standing in front of him. He _had_ to make Murdock understand, "Look. I don't know how it happened. Things were really great, we were really great." He told him, but couldn't get the pilot to look at him, "But then we got split up and…I don't know, everything's a blur. Next thing I know some girl's pulling me into the pool and-"

"Stop." Murdock told him with a somewhat irritated sigh.

"No. What I'm trying to say is, I know I messed up, but give me another chance. I swear, if I hadn't been so drunk I would have stopped her." He hated using the 'I was drunk' excuse, but in this case it applied. If he hadn't been drunk he was certain he would have remembered to stick with Murdock, or at least fended off the woman's approach. "And besides, tonight's your night to pick where we go, remember? It's only fair." He gave Murdock a hopeful smile, the anxiousness evident in his expression. The Captain searched his face for a few moments before looking down.

"I don't know, Face." he finally said, stepping away, "I need some time." He briefly put a hand on Face's shoulder as he passed, heading for the door, but it did nothing to ease Face's worries, or the faint frown that crinkled his brow, "How about lunch at two, down at the restaurant?" Murdock suggested from the doorway, and Face looked over, immediately nodding.

"Sure." He agreed, trying not to look as anxious as he felt. Murdock just nodded before stepping out and shutting the door behind himself.

A couple of hours later Face had showered and changed into fresh clothes and felt far more presentable than he had when he had woke. His still had a bit of a headache, and his stomach twisted at the idea of food, but he knew himself well enough to know that once he had eaten something he would feel much better. He made his way down to the restaurant with apprehension, worried about what Murdock was going to say. It made his heart sink to his knees to think that the pilot was going to want to go home. Everything felt so wrong now; they were both miserable and Murdock was obviously feeling hurt and betrayed. Not that Face blamed him, he just hoped Murdock would let him make it up to him.

He peered into the restaurant but couldn't see Murdock. He was a little early anyway, and requested a table for two before being lead in. He didn't have to wait long, the waiter only just coming back with the glass of water he had ordered when Murdock came in. He was carrying bags and looked in much higher spirits than when he had left. Face couldn't help relaxing in relief as the pilot came over to him with a broad smile.

"Alright Faceman, I've decided we can do tonight, but on one little condition." Murdock announced before he had even sat down, putting the bags under the table out of view of Face's curious eyes.

"Condition? What condition?" Face asked suspiciously, but was smiling nonetheless.

"You have to wear what I tell you." Murdock told him, not even trying to hide his mischievous grin.

"Wear? Oh now…come on. Do I at least get to know what it is I'm going to be wearing before I agree?" Face asked, feeling a sense of foreboding.

"Well of course not." Murdock 'tch'ed, "That would ruin the surprise."

"But how do I know you aren't going to…put me a chicken suit or something?" He wouldn't put it past the pilot. It was the kind of childish yet humiliating thing he would do.

"You don't." Murdock was grinning in a challenging way. Whatever plans he had he was obviously pleased with himself. But Face knew he owed him. Even the pilot decided to demean him publicly for the whole night, at least that would make them even. At least he hoped.

With a heavy sigh he bowed his head, "Alright Murdock, I guess I cant complain." He agreed.

"But I bet you will." Murdock added knowingly, but he sounded pleased and, if Face heard right, relieved.

The waiter took their order and returned quickly with their food. The conversation was a little strained, but not too bad, and once Face started trying to weasel information about Murdock's plans for the night they fell into an easy banter.

About an hour later they had finished eating; Murdock had cleared the main course and dessert ravenously, whilst Face just picked at the food gingerly, wary of angering his already sensitive stomach.

"So what are we doing in the meantime?" He asked as they paid.

"I'm going shopping." Murdock returned with a grin, "You look like you should be lying down." He added, and Face laughed softly in agreement.

"You're probably right." He nodded, "I think I'll go make more use of our hotel room." Murdock nodded and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Sure thing, muchacho. I'll knock real loud when I get back." He grinned, lifting a hand in goodbye and leaving Face grumbling good-naturedly. Things weren't back to how they could be, there was still some tension there, but Face knew it was far better than could be expected, and he went back up to the hotel room far happier than when he'd left it.

Murdock wasn't lying when he said he would knock loud, and Face was startled out of his nap so hard it felt like someone had just jabbed him with a taser.

"Jeez Murdock! You're don't have to give me a heart-attack!" Face grumbled as he went over to open the door for the grinning pilot.

"Wanted to make sure you were up." He told him, completely unchastised, "These bags are heavy." That was a lie, he wasn't carrying that many bags.

"What's the time?" Face asked with a groan as he sat back down on his bed, running a hand back through his mussed hair. He had fallen asleep fully-clothed, and now they felt creased and uncomfortable.

"Nearly six. You feeling better?" Murdock answered, dumping his bags on his bed and starting to empty them out with all the joy of a kid a Christmas. From across the room Face saw entire new outfits, but couldn't quite see what they entailed, as well as comics, candy and a variety of other junk food.

"Yeah, much better." Face nodded, getting up to go see what Murdock had, "What you got there?" He asked, not at all placated by the return of the mischievous grin on the pilot's face. He was gathering together a set of clothes, before holding the pile of clothes as well as a pair of boots out to the conman.

"Here, that's what you're wearing tonight." he told him, looking oh-so-smug. Face took the clothes suspiciously, looking through the pile briefly before he nearly dropped it in horror.

"Oh my God, Murdock, leather pants!"

Murdock hadn't bothered booking them into a fancy restaurant for dinner, and instead insisted that they picnic on the junk food he had bought as they got ready. For some reason, Face couldn't help thinking that the simplicity of it suited Murdock, and the sugar in the candy and soda livened them up a bit. Conversation was far easier now, since Face was still stricken by the outfit that Murdock had picked and was refusing to put it on.

"But…come _on_! Murdock, you can't really-" He implored. As if the black leather pants hadn't been bad enough, they had been accompanied with a fishnet undershirt and an awful light blue shirt that ended with _ruffled_ sleeves.

"You promised. No backsies." Murdock grinned.

"Well, what are _you _wearing? What if we don't match, did you think of that?" Face was trying every sneaky method he knew to try and get out of it, but Murdock saw right through him.

"Don't worry about that, I'm wearing the same thing." Murdock told him cheerfully, taking a bite from his candy bar and enjoying Face's aghast expression.

"You can't be serious." He sounded like he wanted to cry, and the pilot let out a barking laugh.

"Of course I'm not, have you seen what you're wearing?" Murdock grinned cheekily, letting out a yell and scrambling over the bed when Face made as though to grab him, "Nu uh Faceman. You'll see what I'm wearing when I'm wearing it." He told him, walking around for his soda.

Face gave him a dismayed, kicked-puppy sad look, but Murdock wasn't bothered in the least, "You're wearing those clothes, Faceman, if I gotta put you in them myself." He warned, watching the conman slyly, who narrowed his eyes a little. He had assumed that if his fashion-sense had overrun his promise, he could always flat-out refuse to wear them and there wasn't a lot Murdock could do.

"You wouldn't…" He said slowly, shifting back a little. He was suddenly very aware that he was sat down on the bed with a wall behind him, which didn't leave a lot of avenue for escape.

"Wanna bet? If I win you gotta wear makeup as well." Murdock challenged eagerly, and Face held up his hands.

"H-hey. No way!" If Murdock could force him into clothes, he had no doubts that he could force makeup on him as well, and that was something he didn't want to test. The pilot just grinned, letting out a feigned 'aww' of disappointment and sat down on the bed opposite Face.

"I think you'd look very pretty in makeup, Face." He persisted, expression teasing, and Face knew he needed to stop that line of thought right there before Murdock decided to add it to the mix anyway.

"Alright, alright, I'll wear the damn clothes." he finally grumped. Even if it meant he could never show his face in Arizona again. At least he hadn't had to pay for the clothes.

As they walked down to catch the cab they had ordered for 8pm, Face took the chance to appreciate what Murdock was wearing (and he really needed something to take his mind off what _he_ was wearing). It wasn't anything fancy, but he looked good nonetheless. A pair of straight-legged black pants accentuated the pilot's long legs, and a cream turtleneck top clung to his chest. He had also donned the round-framed glasses, which had really finished off the look, and something stirred in Face's stomach that was usually reserved for when women approached him with _those_ eyes. He had always been able to appreciate that Murdock wasn't a bad looking guy, in a purely platonic and heterosexual way, but now…something nagged unpleasantly in his head that that might be changing.

Face was glad to climb straight into the cab, grimacing a little at the feel of the leather than clung to his legs. They were tight, and hot, and getting them on had been an arduous task. The fishnet felt itchy against his skin, and whilst the shirt was soft, the ruffles made him want to cry. But Murdock's reaction when he had stepped out of the bathroom in the clothes nearly made it worth it. The Captain had laughed so hard he hadn't been able to stand for 10 minutes, only stopping when he said his ribs were too painful to continue. And even now Face heard him snort with laughter every now and then.

"So where are we going?" Face asked as the taxi started off. Murdock had obviously already told him where to go.

"You'll see." Murdock told him, looking excited as he peered out of the window. Face noticed that they were heading in completely the opposite direction they had the day before, driving towards the less upper-class areas, and then passing right through into areas that Face would only have gone if the girl had been especially gorgeous.

Finally they pulled up outside a bar, and Face was immediately filled with a sense of foreboding.

The neon sign set over the door announced in bright pink letters that the bar was called 'Pricilla's', and the windows along the front were all blacked out.

"Uh…Murdock." Suddenly he felt like walking into a bar like that, dressed as he was, was only going to end badly.

"Don't look so worried, muchacho." Murdock said as he paid the cab before trying to lead Face forward. There were a few patrons milling around outside that observed them curiously.

"Murdock!" Face hissed, not budging, "This is a _gay_ bar!"

Murdoch 'tch'ed like he was being silly, "Oh, don't be like that. They do karaoke as well." Face felt like he want to either run screaming, or faint, and he barely even registered when Murdock planted his hand on his shoulders until he was frogmarching him through the door.

He didn't immediately adjust to the dim lights as he was struck with the musty smell of the bar, and as they made their somewhat dramatic entrance with Face yelling and protesting, all eyes turned to them. It was larger than it appeared from the outside, and furnished with leather booths around tables that had obviously seen younger days. It wasn't exactly a dive, but it was nowhere near the upper-class clubs Face was used to.

"Just go sit down, I'll get drinks." Murdock cajoled him, and Face wondered why he looked so damn happy there. Hesitantly he went over to a spare booth and slid in, cringing as the leather on leather squeaked briefly. If he hadn't owed Murdock, he would have strangled him. He couldn't recall a time he had felt more uncomfortable or embarrassed, and he knew the curious murmurs he could hear were about them. He knew no amount of begging and bribery in the world would even have got him there, wearing what he was, under any other circumstances, so he supposed he really must have felt guilty about the night before.

Then it hit him, why Murdock had picked a gay bar for his choice - it was the last place on earth Face could get in to trouble.

The bar was reasonably full, with all sorts of people milling around; men, women and everything in between. More than once Face found himself admiring a pretty woman only to spot that she was actually a he. It was enough to make his head spin. And even the real women he tried to eye up were soon whisked away by other women.

Murdock was taking his time, and after a few minutes Face peered over to see what was taking him. The bar hadn't looked that packed. To his surprise, or not, he supposed afterwards, Murdock had attracted a crowd at the bar, and Face could hear the pilot's animated talking over the hubbub, the crowd laughing and talking with him. Murdock slowly managed to extricate himself as someone got up on stage to karaoke. It was something Elvis, but Face wasn't really paying attention.

"Having fun?" He asked as the pilot finally sat down, sliding his drink over to him. It was blue, and Face looked amused. Murdock just grinned and nodded, pushing the fake glasses up his nose.

"It's great here, Face, everyone's so friendly!" Murdock insisted, cheeks a little flushed in excitement, "Someone bought me a shot of something, I don't know what it was but they lit it on fire and it tasted like chocolate!" He babbled, taking a sip from his own drink that was the same as Face's, "I know it's not your usual place, but at least give it a chance?" Murdock insisted, looking with big eyes at Face, and it wasn't a face he could deny. With a defeated sigh and a small smile he nodded.

"Sure Murdock, if you're having fun then I suppose I can give it a try." The Captain beamed, then flapped a hand at the conman, "Try you're drink, it tastes like coconut."

Face could only laugh and obligingly take a drink, nodding, "It's good." It was, and he could barely even taste the alcohol. He wouldn't be caught dead drinking that kind of drink anywhere else, but he supposed it wasn't like anyone was going to judge him there.

Murdock had his eyes on the stage, obviously wanting to sing, and Face nudged his leg under the table with his foot, "Go sing if you want." He encouraged as he speedily drank the coconut drink. He knew he would be a lot more comfortable with some alcohol in him.

"You think I should?" Murdock asked, and Face just gave him a look that said he knew that Murdock didn't really need his approval. The pilot was always singing, and he loved an audience. Murdock grinned excitedly, downed the rest of his drink and got up, "I'll go put my name down." He said, touching Face's arm briefly as he passed before heading to the booth near the stage. Face shifted so he could watch the pilot weave his way through the crowd, a frown unknowingly creeping onto his face at all the advances Murdock got. The jealousy surprised him and he quickly looked down, finishing off the rest of the drink.

On his way back, Murdock was caught at the bar again and began chatting animatedly with the group of drag queens there. Face saw them looking over and grinning, Murdock gaining a surprised expression then laughing again as they continued talking. He picked up two new drinks, green this time, and made his way back over, but not before gaining a pink feather boa from one of the queens.

"Sorry that took so long." Murdock laughed. Despite being left on his own, Face was really glad to see Murdock having so much fun and didn't begrudge him it, "But look what one of the ladies gave me." He pulled off the boa and put it around Face's neck, having to practically wrestle it on to him when the conman protested, and by the time the pilot had emerged victorious they were sitting right next to each other.

"Do I _have_ to keep this on." Face whined, nose wrinkling as the feathers tickled at his face and neck.

"Yes." Murdock insisted, putting his drink in front of him, "Try it, it's apple!"

"You'd better slow down, you know, or you're going to be wasted before you even get on stage." Face warned, less enthusiastic as he continued to pluck at the boa miserably. He saw Murdock shrug out of the corner of his eye.

"Liquid courage, Faceman." He said, lifting his glass in a cheer before taking a drink, then changed the subject, "The ladies said they saw you watching me." The statement caught Face off-guard, and he floundered briefly.

"Murdock, you know they're not really la-"

"Don't go changing the subject, Facey-man. Said you were looking awfully jealous sitting over here all on your lonesome." The pilot slanted a sly look at the conman, grinning over his drink.

"I…well…not _jealous_, per se…I was just, keeping an eye on you, you know?" Face tried to sound as believable as possible, but he was talking to his drink and was mortified that he had been caught.

Murdock made a vague 'Uh huh' noise, obviously not buying it, but he did sound pleased, and happily sipped his drink. Face took a few moments to compose himself, listening as whoever was murdering the Beatles' 'Yesterday' finished up. He turned to ask Murdock what song he was singing, but was interrupted as the pilots name was called over the crowd as next.

"Wish me luck." Murdock grinned as he bounced to his feet.

"Good luck." Face obliged, lifting his glass to cheer him on, and watching him hurry to the stage. There were appreciative cheers as he made his enthusiastic entrance onto the stage, greeting the crowd cheerfully. Before the music started he leaned forward and spoke to someone in the crowd, straightening with a black trilby on his head and thanking them as the music started and another round of applause went up.

The crowd was enthralled as Murdock launched into 'Fly Me To The Moon', performing with all the charisma of Sinatra himself, and smiling charmingly the whole time. Even Face was struck by his performance, and blinked in surprise when Murdock looked over at him, the Captain doing it so often some people in the crowd started to turn around to see what he was looking at.

"_In other words,_

_Please be true._

_In other words,_

_In other words,_

_I love…you."_

From the first line, an almost perfect imitation of Sinatra himself, Murdock was a star, and by the end the crowd was begging for more. Apologizing as he jumped down from the stage with a laugh, Murdock returned the hat to the woman he had taken it from before making his way back over. He was mobbed by nearly a dozen people who all wanted to talk to him, and he couldn't do anything but give them what they wanted, making conversation with a charismatic smile.

Face saw them look over at him repeatedly, and he saw a moment of surprise pass over Murdock's face before the pilot laughed and nodded, looking a little helpless. Eventually he managed to escape, but three queens followed him over to their table, the Captain not looking like he minded. Face had finished his drink by this time, and had helped himself to rest of Murdock's as well, and he was feeling pleasantly buzzed.

"Face, I'd like you to meet Latia, Rose and Princess." He introduced each of the drag queens in turn, and they all smiled with interest at Face, who felt a bit like a chicken cornered by three foxes. But he donned his best smile and greeted them pleasantly.

"You looked good up there." He commented to Murdock as the Captain slid into the booth next him, pressing close since there was barely enough room for all five of them. The pilot's cheeks were lightly flushed, both from excitement and the alcohol, and he seemed unable to wear anything less than a grin.

"That's what we told him. I do hope you sing us some more. Talent is so rare here." Princess was the first to speak. She was dressed in a sequined dress, and her hair was done up nicely. Even her skin was nice and smooth, no sign of unsightly hair anywhere, but her broad shoulders and large hands gave her away. But Face found he wasn't nearly as bothered by them as he thought he would be. He had expected to be terribly uncomfortable around them, but the two and a bit drinks were doing wonders.

"You drank my drink." Murdock said in dismay when he reached for his glass and found it empty, and Face shrugged, "You weren't drinking it."

"I was going to."

"Well I'll buy you another one then." Face told him, looking at him with lifted eyebrows. The Captain met his gaze, and there was a brief staring contest whilst the queens looked on with quiet laughs, before Murdock finally looked away.

"No, I'll get them. You'll just get something deplorably _boring_." Murdock shifted off the seat to go to the bar, excusing himself with a smile.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, the three ladies started talking to him, or rather _at_ him, informing him of how impressed they were with Murdock, and how he seemed like such a great guy, and if he sang professionally. Face answered or fended off their questions as best he could, but he was relieved when he saw Murdock coming back.

"So how long have you two been dating?" The question caught him off-guard, and all he could do was blink blankly at Latia, the shortest of the queens in a dark blue wig, before slowly turning to look at Murdock as he set the glasses down.

"I don't know, how long _have_ we been dating?" He asked the pilot with a wide-eyed, urgent _'I-don't-know-the-answer'_ expression. Murdock looked stuck for a moment, a brief moment of hesitation crossing his face before got a natural expression again and sat down next to Face.

"15 years." He answered easily, and Face nearly choked. _15 years?_ What was that-?

It dawned on him a few seconds later. 15 years ago was when they had first met, back in Vietnam. Was Murdock telling him he had liked him that long?

The queens coo'ed, "15 years, that's such a long time!" Rose gushed, "That's true love right there."

"It goes too quickly." Murdock replied, putting an arm around Face's shoulder like it was nothing odd. They were falling into roles. Well that was okay, Face could deal with that. Just another con.

They cheerfully answered the questions that were fired at them, making it up as they went along, as more drinks came and went it got more and more fun. Face was fully relaxed against Murdock's side, enjoying the weight of his arm over his shoulder and the way the pilot idly ran his fingers over the boa that was still around Face's neck.

After a short while, Murdock was called up to the stage again, and he gave Face a squeeze before getting up, dipping his head to the ladies as he passed before winding his way up onto the stage.

Face was intimidated to say the least when three sets of eyes turned on him as soon as Murdock was out of earshot.

"15 years and you still haven't proposed?" Latia demanded of him.

"If I had a man like that I wouldn't risk letting him get away." Rose added, and a firm 'mmmhmmm' was added by Princess, and Face lifted his hands in a defensive way.

"Whoah, ladies. P-propose? Like in marriage?" he asked. This con was taking a turn for the bizarre.

"Yeahuh like marriage." Rose insisted.

"B-but…it's not like we can actually…y'know…_get_ married." Thank God. "Not legally."

"Legal isn't everything, Darling. It's the thought that counts." Latia told him knowingly, "And after 15 years, I think you should be ready." She added.

"But I don't…well…you cant." Face shrank back from the three pairs of intense accusatory eyes, "Well, it's not like I have a ring." Face finished lamely after a moment. He glanced to the stage. Murdock was about to start.

"Here." He turned to look as Princess slid one of the many rings off her finger and held it out to him. Just a simple silver band, "You can have one of mine. Just do it! 15 years and you should know." All three were beaming at him, and Face tried to smile back, but he knew he looked dazed and a little overwhelmed.

Wait…what had he just agreed to?

Murdock had the hat again as the music started, the loud crescendo of trumpets giving way to a softer melody.

"_If you are but a dream,_

_I hope I never waken."_

There was a murmur through the crowd that sounded like soft coos and pleased sighs before they started pairing off and swaying to the slow tempo. Murdock watched them with a pleased smile, but more often than not looked over to Face, who was listening to the lyrics closely. Murdock crooned the song perfectly, and the whole bar was caught under his spell.

"_So darling,_

_If our romance should break up._

_I hope I never wake up._

_If you are but a dream…"_

The song faded out and the couples drew apart to applaud him, and the pilot's thanks could barely be heard over the cheer of the crowd.

"You should sing for him." Face nearly yelped at Rose's voice right in his ear, finding that she had moved up to speak to him.

"Wh-what?" He stammered, looking frazzled.

"He was obviously singing that to you, you should get up there." She insisted, but Face shook his head vehemently.

"Oh no, I don't sing." he told her.

"So? Have you heard the other acts? They don't care. It's about having fun."

"I-I don't…" Fortunately he was saved from having to answer when Murdock arrived at the table, carrying five different drinks.

"Look! Free drinks!" he announced, cheeks rosey as he grinned happily.

The three queens applauded him and cheered, whilst Face got up, picking what he assumed was the most alcoholic of the drinks and downing it before excusing himself. Murdock blinked in surprise, looking a little dismayed, but the ladies watched him march off knowingly and distracted Murdock with bubbly chatter. Face was relieved to be away from the table before the queen's decided they should be adopting children as well, but his split-second decision was already seeming like a bad idea.

He had to be insane to do this. Had to be. But truth be told, it **did** look like fun, and everyone there was already so drunk he was sure it didn't matter what he sounded like. And he owed Murdock this. He owed him the best and most memorable night he had ever had after the disaster the night before.

He hovered near the stage until he was called, thankfully remembering to unwrap the boa from around his neck so he didn't look utterly ridiculous, but left it draped over his shoulder. He already looked about as gay as he could, what was a pink feather boa going to do?

He thought he might bottle out as he was called up, just knowing that Murdock was going to be perking up in surprise. With an embarrassed and slightly nervous grin he stepped up onto the stage and took the mic. The crowd cheered him, catching calls of 'it's Sinatra's boyfriend!', which made his stomach squirm for many reasons.

The iconic music started, and he watched the autocue carefully. He knew the words, he knew the rhythm, he knew the whole damn song, but he was so nervous he still nearly missed the start.

"_When no one else can understand me,_

_When everything I do is wrong,_

_You give me love and consolation,_

_You give me hope to carry on."_

It was cheesy, but as the song went on he really started to enjoy it, gaining confidence and sounding much better when he got his volume sorted. Elvis was never meant to be mumbled. Once the song was in full swing the crowd started to join in, and Face couldn't help laughing and grinning broadly, loving the rush of excitement. But he found he couldn't look over to Murdock until the final chorus.

He looked over to find the Captain watching with wide eyes and a smile, and their eyes met briefly before Face quickly looked away, not wanting to stumble over the song.

"_I guess I'll never know,_

_The reason why,_

_You love me as you do._

_That's the wonder,_

_The wonder of you."_

He hit the final note and the song finished to an eruption of applause, the audience whooping and calling, and Face laughed and flushed. But that wasn't all, he had another surprise, and whatever he had drunk before making his spontaneous trip to the stage was thankfully making everything less daunting.

It was now or never.

"That's not all." He said into the microphone, and the crowd when quiet in expectation, "I'd like to ask a very special guy to join me up here. You folks already know him." He laughed as cries for 'Sinatra!' went up, "You got it. Come on up here Murdock." He looked over to see the pilot already halfway to the stage, and Face felt the butterflies in his stomach intensify. This was such a _stupid_ idea. What if Murdock didn't get it?

But as the Captain sprung up onto the stage next to him, and all eyes were on them he knew he couldn't back out now. He put the microphone on its stand so he would have both hands free. Murdock was looking at him with a confused smile, obviously wondering why he was up there.

Face took a calming breath before starting, "You know, we've been together so long now, I really cant imagine life without you anymore." That wasn't even an exaggeration, and he felt better in that. He did want Murdock realise he was being sincere in his words, even if he didn't want him to take everything seriously, "I look at the future, and you're there, singing away and causing me hell," he grinned and there were quiet laughs, "And I know, if you're not with me then I don't have any kind of future all." The alcohol was helping a great deal as well, he couldn't deny. Murdock had his head tilted curiously, eyes a little suspicious.

"So…I cant think of any better way to make sure you're always there." He felt like a fool as he dropped to one knee and the crowd let up a gasp. He looked up at Murdock urgently, and for a second they wore the same wide-eyed, _'what-are-you-doing?' look. Then Murdock jerked and a hand flew to his mouth, eyes still wide, and Face knew that he was trying hard not to laugh, but to everyone else it looked like he was overcome with emotion. Seeing Murdock laugh made Face wilt a little in relief, before he too had to fight laughter. Their predicament really was too funny._

_Honestly, what was he doing?_

"_Will you marry me?" He held up the ring Princess had so helpfully provided, and the crowd waited with baited breath for Murdock to answer. Face had his lips tightly pressed together, staring up at Murdock. They were trying to make each other laugh._

"_Yes!" The laugh that came out with the pilot's reply didn't sound out of place thankfully, and a huge cheer went up from the crowd, everyone congratulating them. Getting to his feet, Face took Murdock's hand slipped the ring onto his ring finger. It was a little loose but it wouldn't fall off._

"_And people say I'm crazy." Murdock murmured out of shot of the microphone, but he was grinning, and did look very happy. It was fun and harmless really, and they were both enjoying themselves._

"_At least I've already seen you in a wedding dress." Face laughed._

_Both men were startled when a chant of 'Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!' started up from the crowd. Neither of them had expected that, and it hadn't even crossed Face's mind. But he supposed it would look a bit suspicious if they didn't. He looked back to Murdock slowly, finding the pilot was already looking at him._

"_Face, you just propose to me. I don't think a kiss is going to hurt." He reasoned, and Face blinked before laughing. He had a good point, a very good point. And it wasn't like he hadn't tried to the second they touched down in Arizona._

_Wrapping his arms up around Murdock's neck he pulled the pilot down into a firm kiss. He decided against hesitating and just went for it. The moment their lips met was like electric, and a cold, exciting shiver ran down the conman's spine. He felt Murdock's arms wrap around his waist, pulling them together. The crowd was cheering in the distance, but he barely heard it._

_He never imagined their first kiss would be on a stage in front of fifty people, but as kisses went, it was fantastic. It lasted only a few seconds, but even so, both were breathless as they pulled back, eyes locked as an unspoken conversation happened. This was it. This was what they had come to Arizona for._

_When he had first decided to give Murdock a try, to help him reconcile his feelings, Face had never imagined he would start falling for pilot. Never even crossed his mind. But there they were, arms around each other, basking in the afterglow of that first electric kiss, and he was falling head over heels. No, not falling, more like flying. Flying to the moon._

_Songs in this chapter are:_

_Fly my to the moon - Frank Sinatra_

_If you are but a dream - Frank Sinatra_

_Wonder of you - Elvis Presely_


	5. Smile

Story: Ice in Arizona

Chapter: 05. Smile

Author: G. Richmond

Warnings: Slash, foreplay, no sex.

Author's notes: Part 5 of the Ice in Arizona series. Title is from a number of artists, but I had the Charlie Chaplin song in mind. I never imagined this story would get so long…

(I wrote this at least 5 months ago, but didn't post it because it doesn't really progress the story. But I want t probe to people that I haven't abandoned the story, so here's chapter 5!)

* * *

The drag queens had thankfully left the booth by the time they worked their way back there, but there were a couple of bright pink drinks waiting for them instead. Sliding into the booth, they were both grinning, and happily took long drinks from the glasses. They felt parched.

"That was crazy, Face." Murdock finally laughed, looking down at the ring on his finger, "Guess those lovely ladies bullied you into it, huh?" He didn't looked like he minded either way.

"Well, I was hardly going to propose to you under my own volition. I swear there's supposed to a ton of steps between being on the run from the military and marriage." Face laughed, leaning into Murdock's side. It was easy to say it was because all eyes were on them now and they were supposed to be acting the parts of new fiancées, but truthfully he was enjoying being close to the pilot. Murdock slipped an arm around his shoulders and his stomach squirmed happily.

It was nice not to have to over-think things. Sure, tomorrow, when they had sobered up they were probably going to have to have a long talk, but for now…

Face lifted his head to look at Murdock thoughtfully after a short while, trying to ignore all the eyes that were on them. It took Murdock a few moments to realise he was being watched, but when he did he turned his head to look at Face curiously. Straightening up, Face lifted a hand to gently take the glasses from Murdock, setting them down on the table. It was a repeat of the incident in the cockpit, only this time Murdock wasn't nearly so apprehensive. Both paused just before their lips touched, Face resting a hand against the pilot's chest, before the distance was closed and a small pleased noise escaped the conman when that same cold flash of pleasure ran down his back.

Face turned more so the angle wasn't so awkward, wrapping an arm around Murdock's neck again, and he felt the Captain's arm slip from his shoulders and settle around his waist. The kiss was unpredictable and trying, neither sure how far the other wanted to go. At first it was brief, and they pulled away after only chaste contact, then Murdock dipped his head again and there was more heat. A couple more stalled kisses before it deepened further. Face hadn't meant to open his mouth, it had just happened naturally with the small groan that escaped him when Murdock slipped a hand into his hair and tilted his head back.

Murdock's hand slid up under Face's shirt at the same time he claimed his mouth, and the conman arched into the attention happily. The pilot's warms hand was a distinct and welcomed change to the scratchy fishnet, and a small appreciative moan was lost between them.

When they broke apart finally they were both breathing hard, but smiling. This really was more like it. Face couldn't say this was exactly how he had expected their time in Arizona to go. Actually, the thought that it could go anything like this hadn't even crossed his mind. He had never thought this far ahead, although considering how quickly they had got there it was hardly surprising.

In this back of his mind he knew it was mostly the alcohol they had to thank for everything, and tomorrow would… But tomorrow was tomorrow, and that could wait forever as far as Face was concerned, he was enjoying the now.

The night drew on and after a while longer of more kisses and less-than-innocent touches, they left their booth, going to mingle with the rest of the patrons. They were practically celebrities there now, and found that all their drinks were bought for them, something they took advantage of heartily. Murdock was called up on stage for more Sinatra, and he was happy to oblige, bringing the house down with 'My Way'. After that he managed to drag Face up for a duet of Tom Jones' 'Delilah', although they ended up having to sing very little of it alone, the crowd more than happy to join in.

Near the end of the night, someone got up on stage to sing Charlie Chaplin's 'Smile', and the soft melodious tune had couples pairing off and swaying slowly. Murdock and Face were at the bar, talking to different groups of people, but when the song started the pilot extricated himself and went over to Face, offering his hand.

"Care to dance?" He asked. Face couldn't deny his hesitance, even despite the pleasant fog in his mind. The slow dance was very…intimate. But Murdock's charming smile and the encouraging nudges from people soon got him to his feet with his hand in the pilot's.

"Sure." He nodded, letting Murdock lead him into a space on the dance floor. The Captain was completely unhesitant, pulling the conman close and wrapping his arms around his waist. Face put his arms up around Murdock's neck after a pause, not used to taking that position. It seemed natural after a few moments, though, and they fell into a slow, easy rhythm.

"Thanks." Murdock said quietly, looking down at the floor over Face's shoulder.

"For what?" Face asked, fingers drifting lightly through the ends of the pilot's hair.

"_Smile, though your heart is aching._

_Smile, even though it's breaking."_

"For tonight. For Arizona." Something was wrong, Face could hear it in his voice, and he pulled back a little to try and see Murdock's face. His eyes were down turned, and although he was smiling, it looked sad.

"Hey…" Face cursed the depressing song. The melody was nice, but the lyrics were bittersweet, "Don't look so sad. This isn't going to end at the State line, you know?" Right then and there, he could almost believe that they'd been dating for 15 years, and that he really had just proposed. It was a nice fantasy that he could have stayed in forever.

Murdock finally lifted his eyes to look at the blond, searching his face, before he smiled and nodded, "I hope you're right." he agreed, and Face wanted to protest at his only half-convinced tone, but he was distracted when the pilot dipped his head and kissed him.

Fortunately Murdock cheered up when the song ended and someone sang something more lively, and after a few more drinks Face was able to forget the doubts that nagged at his mind.

Eventually it came time for the bar to close and they all sadly had to say goodbye. They were handed more than twenty number from people wanting to keep in touch, and Murdock collected them in the trilby that the woman he kept borrowing it from decided to give him. There were cabs waiting for them, and it was only once the crowd had dispersed did they finally climb in. Face already found himself a little sad that the night was coming to an end and they would have to leave Arizona the next day, but thinking the night over couldn't help bring a grin to his face. He was pulled against the pilot's side after Murdock finally sat back from telling the driver where to go, evidentially having some difficultly not slurring his words and eventually just shouted the words through the glass as clearly as he could, finishing with a cheerful, "If you would be so kind."

Face laughed lowly at the cabby's expense, "You're drunk." He told the pilot helpfully, hand on his leg, but only so he didn't fall face-first onto his lap. Murdock gave him a haughty look. He had put the trilby on his head, and pieces of paper were sticking out from under the brim.

"You…are a very black pot, Mr…Mr…" He was struggling for the word, blinking very slowly.

"Face?" Face supplied helpfully, but Murdock shook his head.

"No no no…that's not what I was going to say…" He paused, either for effect or because he needed time to formulate his next thought, "I was _going_ to say, Mr…uh…Husband."

Face gave up trying to remain sat up and draped himself over Murdock's lap, looking up at him with half-closed eyes. The feather boa was now serving as a scarf and keeping him nice and warm, "Husband?" He asked with amusement, and Murdock nodded insistently.

"You proposed, I want a wedding." He pointed at the ring on his finger, "A big one, with a cake. And we can invite all our friends."

"So…that's all of two people? Great! Hannibal can be my Best Man and BA can be your Maid of Honour." He grinned, trying not to laugh, especially when Murdock wrinkled his nose.

"BA would look terrible in a dress!" he complained.

"And Hannibal would look any better?" Face laughed, and Murdock gained a thoughtful expression, obviously trying to picture it.

"He would look…_marginally_ better." He said slowly, before adding, "And, who said I was going to be the bride?"

"You've already worn the dress." The conman grinned, "But this time we'll have it fitted. Something to show off your legs-!" He was cut off when Murdock put a hand over his mouth, laughing as he tried to fend him off. Eventually it turned into playful mauling on both sides, the pilot trying to pin Face down on the seat until eventually the cabby snapped at them to sit properly. With childishly petulant expressions they sat up, Face practically pouting as he folded his arms over his chest.

"He started it…" He mumbled, ducking when Murdock made another grab for him.

The driver was obviously relieved to be rid of them when they finally arrived at the hotel, and Face handed some money over before following after Murdock, fingers curled in the back off his top for the much-needed support. As they stumbled into the hotel Face slid his arm around Murdock's waist and unashamedly under his top, leaning into his side and accidentally pushing the pilot off balance and into a wall. Giggling, they eventually righted themselves and started towards the stairs. Come the next morning, neither of them would be able to recall if there was anyone else in reception to witness their drunken meandering.

Taking the stairs had been a mistake, and trying to scale them together was an impossible task. On the last flight, and after much laughing and cursing on the previous ones, they finally unwound from each other. Face made it up to their floor with help of the banister, but Murdock didn't even feign to try and just crawled up on all fours. When the conman saw what he was doing he burst out laughing, leaning back against the wall since he couldn't stay upright any other way.

He was still laughing as Murdock used him like a ladder to get back up, the pilot searching around in the conman's pockets for the key.

"You have the key." Face was told, but didn't try to help Murdock, instead just twining his arms up around the Captain's neck and pulling him down into a distracting kiss. An appreciative noise was lost between them, Murdock pulling the other man closer with his hands still in his back pockets, bringing their hips together. Face was pressed back against the wall, the pilot taking control, and this role reversal from his usual encounters with women was somehow even more erotic than anything else. He had been with confident, dominant women before, but he had always been the man. But this was different, in this they were both men, and being pressed up against the wall with Murdock taking control was deliciously different.

Face made a small protesting noise as Murdock pulled back, the pilot quickly reaching over to the door to unlock it before grabbing the boa around Face's neck and dragging him into a heated kiss as he walked him back into the dark room. The door was kicked shut behind them and they were plunged into complete darkness, but both were too distracted to fumble for any lights. They knew the layout well enough, and it wasn't far to the first bed, which was unquestioningly where they were going.

Shoes were hastily kicked off and left haphazardly on the floor, and hands were everywhere. Murdock had the boa and shirt off Face before he even realised what he was up to, not that he minded. Everything was so heated and feverish Face didn't have time to catch his breath, let alone stop and think about whether he should really be doing this. He pushed the hat off Murdock's head when it kept getting in the way, not caring about the mess the little bits of paper made all over the carpet.

Face lifted his arms so Murdock could drag the fishnet top off over his head, a relieved and slightly frustrated noise escaping him as they broke the kiss. He really hated that top. Murdock let out a low chuckle, hands sliding over Face's chest and under his arms to his back as he stepped them towards the bed. Face reached up to take the glasses from Murdock, they were already at an odd angle and had been getting in the way, and tossed them across the room before running his hand up under his sweater. The hard planes of muscle and coarse hair did make Face pause, it was too stark a difference not to have an effect, but Murdock distracted him with an intense kiss, hand sliding into his hair as he lowered them onto the bed.

Easily and willingly distracted, Face shifted back on the bed, breaking the kiss again as he dragged Murdock's top up, trying to tug it off. Murdock helped to get off the tight top, both laughing when it proved more difficult to get the turtle neck off than anticipated, and the pilot spent a few seconds being smothered by the stubborn neck of the sweater. He also nearly overbalanced and toppled right off the side of the bed, but was saved by Face wrapping his arms around his middle.

Once free, and too drunk to be embarrassed, the Captain pushed against the conman's shoulders, lying him down and crawling over him. The kiss this time was slower and less frenzied, the pilot letting himself down onto his elbows, not afraid of putting too much weight on the body below him. Face didn't seem to mind, arms wrapping over Murdock's shoulders and hands splayed against his back. He eagerly pressed into the kiss, leg bending so his foot was flat on the bed. Murdock was settled between his legs, but he hadn't even noticed position this put them in. All he noticed was how _close_ the pilot was, and small groans escaped the both of them at the friction between their bodies.

Face let out an encouraging noise when the pilot's hand travelled down to the fastenings on his pants. Sure it was erotic, but mostly he just wanted those horrible pants off. They had gotten progressively tighter and hotter as the night had drawn on, and now it felt like they were cutting off the circulation of everything from his hips downwards. Almost everything.

An appreciative groan escaped the blond as the restrictive pants were undone, and he felt Murdock pause, the pilot breaking the kiss and lifting his head to look down.

"You're not-" He sounded amused and was grinning cheekily. Face gave him an exasperated look.

"Murdock, there was barely room for _me_ in the pants." He told him, rolling his eyes at how the pilot was obviously trying not to laugh. So what if he had gone commando? It wasn't exactly like he'd had a choice.

"Never thought of that, Faceman." Murdock was grinning infuriatingly, and Face was trying hard not to blush. Not that it would have been noticeable; both of them were very flushed from the alcohol.

"Shut up." Face grumbled, slipping his fingers into the Captain's hair and dragging him down into a kiss. Face could tell he was still amused, but at least he couldn't say anything.

With the leather pants pushed only halfway down his thighs, Face made a low frustrated noise and pushed Murdock up. The pilot sat back with a confused expression as the conman sat up, gaining a grin as he watched Face pull his legs up and struggle to get the pants off. They really were too uncomfortable.

Once off, the blond threw the pants halfway across the room and out of sight, practically glowering after them.

"Next time, you can wear what _I_ choose." He grumbled, looking to Murdock as the pilot moved back in, the Captain pushing him back down onto the bed, and the quick movement made his head spin a little.

"Not a chance. _My_ night was a complete success." Murdock told him, still grinning despite Face's grumpy expression, and he lowered his head to press distracting kisses along the conman's jaw.

"For you." Face near-complained, but it was obvious the distraction was working, his words coming out muzzy.

"You don't call this a success?" The Captain asked, lifting his head as he ran his hand down over the blond's hip and grazing his fingers over his freed erection, "You're an awfully hard man to please." Despite his words, he grinned at the low groan that escaped the conman.

Face looked up at the pilot with lust-darkened eyes, fingers sliding into Murdock's hair whilst his other dragged down over his chest towards his pants. He pulled him down into another intense kiss, making a displeased noise when Murdock pulled back after only brief contact and caught his hand by the wrist before he could undo his pants.

"I gotta ask…how far you want this to go?" The Captain asked, effectively stopping Face in his tracks.

"I…" A little coherency came back to his lust-addled mind as he tried to focus. He hadn't really been thinking about it like that. All he knew was that his body wanted release, and that usually happened if they kept taking clothes off. He was sure if Murdock hadn't stopped him he would have just gone with the flow as long as it kept feeling good and kept him excited, but now…

Even drunk as he was he still felt some discomfort at the idea of actually having sex with a man, regardless of what position he was.

Murdock obviously read this on his face, but didn't look put out in the slightest and released his hold on the conman's wrist.

"Just checking." He explained, watching Face's expression carefully for another moment before kissing him again. The blond took a moment to respond, too many thoughts running around his head, but he soon pressed up against the pilot with a groan when he wrapped a hand around his shaft and stroked slowly. Quickly enough the lustful haze shrouded his mind again and his fingers again reached for the Captain's pants, deftly undoing them with only one hand.

Something in his head wanted to falter there, but he pushed through it. There was really no point being hesitant; he knew Murdock was a man, that had really been the whole point of Arizona, and it wasn't as though he wasn't accustomed to male anatomy. In fact he obviously knew it better than female anatomy, even though he did like to think of himself as somewhat of an expert in that field.

So he didn't allow himself to hesitate as he pushed the pilot's pants down off his hips, along with underwear, and slid his hand back around to grip his erection. He almost grinned at Murdock's surprised twitch, the pilot obviously having expected the conman to be far more apprehensive, and this only spurred Face on, insecurity fading.

And now they were past those first, uncertain stages, now the awkwardness was gone. And that was exciting.

Murdock broke the kiss with a surprised gasp when Face didn't let up and started stroking him, the pilot's head ducking as he fought too catch his breath. His hand twitched involuntarily around the blond but he was too off-guard to remember how to move it, but for the moment Face didn't mind, enjoying the power. Murdock had been taking the lead practically the whole night (proposal notwithstanding), so Face was happy to have the control now.

The Captain wasn't nearly so audible as Face had been being, although he could have been intentionally suppressing his groans, Face couldn't tell since he had his head lowered still. Using his free hand, the conman lifted the pilot's face and pulled him into a forceful kiss, finally snapping him back to reality and Face jerked a little with a muffled groan as Murdock resumed pleasuring him with renewed enthusiasm.

Drunk as they were, it was surprising either of them lasted as long as they did. The kisses soon broke for heavy pants as Face pushed his head back into the pillow and Murdock rested his forehead down against the conman's shoulder. The blond's moans grew in urgency as his release approached, broken and haltered by sharp breaths, and the fingers of his free hand clenched into a fist against the pilot's back. Murdock was quieter, but his rapid breathing was still mixed with low groans, and his hand clenched tightly into blanket, bicep and shoulder tensed.

Face was the first to hit his peak, back arching and brows drawing together as the cry caught in his throat. White swamped his mind for what seemed like an eternity before the intense, mind-shattering pleasure faded and he was able to breath again, groans coming out with every breath. He thankfully remembered to resumed stroking the pilot, drawing his release from him before he lost all will and ability to move.

Murdock gasped as he released, both hand gripping the bed sheets tight. His head was still down against Face's shoulder, and the conman felt when he started breathing again, hot breaths against his chest as electric spasms wracked his slim form for a few moments.

Fortunately, the pilot didn't instantly melt into the bed like Face was doing, happy to bask in the afterglow until he fell asleep, and instead reached off the bed to grab something to clean off with. Which, Face was pleased to see, was the awful ruffled shirt. Now he had an excuse never to wear it again.

Somehow Face managed to crawl under the covers, although he had no idea how. His entire body felt like overcooked pasta, not that he was complaining, but he was sure Murdock had a lot to do with getting him in the bed. He doubted he could have managed it on his own, and he lay there on his back he found that _how he'd gotten under the covers wasn't really important, but it was very nice to be there now, warm and satiated. _

_And Murdock was next to him, the pilot lying on his side as he got comfortable before draping an arm over the conman's chest._

_They were both asleep before they could even remember how to form words._


	6. Stranger Than Fiction

Story: Ice in Arizona

Chapter: 06. Stranger than Fiction

Warnings: Mild Slash

Author's notes: Part 6 of the Ice in Arizona series. Title is a song by 'Five Finger Death Punch'. Song doesn't really tie in with the chapter in any way, but it was a good title (I would have used it even if it wasn't a song title). However, some of the lyrics do fit with the rest of the story.

Last chapter, I apologise for how long this took me to write.

* * *

Face got to experience being completely warm and comfortable for about 10 seconds before his hangover hit him like a runaway tank. His head immediately started pounding and he felt sick, and all he wanted was stick his head under a faucet and drink as much water as he could before drowning himself. He couldn't even appreciate that the outside of his body was so cosy and nice because the inside felt rotten enough to more than compensated for it all.

And he was starting to notice that a lot of the night before was just one big blur, and the facts were hard to grasp. There were nags in his head that were telling him he was forgetting a lot of important things. What had happened?

All of a sudden he realised he wasn't in bed alone, and wondered how he hadn't immediately noticed the tall body pressed up against his back or the strong arm over his waist. At least waking up naked wasn't too out of the ordinary.

He slowly lifted his head to look over his shoulder, although the way everything protested almost made it not worth it. Murdock was still sleeping soundly, and Face envied him, or at least he did until large chunks of the night started coming back to him, and he remembered just _why_ they were both naked and in the same bed.

Oh….yeah.

And then the rest of the night; the gay bar, the karaoke, the brightly coloured drinks. The proposal.

Face couldn't suppress a groan and turned his face into the pillow to muffle it as well as block out the light. It was all too overwhelming, all too much. One of the many things that had happened would have been enough to deal with, but he could have rationalised it, found an excuse and be ready to sweep it under the rug before Murdock even woke up.

But this would be like trying to cover a mountain with dishcloth.

God, what was he supposed to do with this? What if he handled it wrong? He could screw things up forever, he could lose his best friend, as well as cause a rift in the A-Team. The idea of that scared him more than anything they had done the night before, and he was starting to work himself up into a panic in his head, so much so that he nearly jumped out of his skin when Murdock groaned right behind him.

The pilot was waking, and Face sympathised, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

Murdock drew his arm back before he had even really woken up and rolled onto his back, groaning miserably again as he put his hand over his face. Face shifted to prop himself up, looking at the pilot apprehensively. For a while Murdock didn't move, although the grimace that was partially hidden behind his hand showed that he was still awake, and not happy about it.

Eventually he pulled his hand down, squinting in the light and looking around before finally half focussing on the blond. Their eyes met, expressions tense. They both remembered what had happened, and Face didn't know what to say.

"I'm not giving the ring back." Murdock finally told him in a raspy voice, the tension relaxing off his face to be replaced with another grimace as he slowly tried to push himself up. Face blinked at him blankly. Of all the first things he had expected one of them to say, that hadn't been it.

"…huh?" His own voice was dry and coarse.

"The ring." Murdock lifted his hand to show Face the 'engagement' ring that was still on his ring finger, "I'm keeping it." He was trying to grin, but it was obvious he felt so rotten it really wasn't making it much further than the amused grimace stage.

Face watched him for a long moment before he let out a brief laugh, relief flooding through him. Suddenly it didn't feel so awkward.

"Sure…it's not like I paid for it." He rasped in amusement, lying back down with a pitiful groan and throwing an arm over his eyes, "I cant believe we got _that _drunk." He mumbled miserably. He felt a shift in the bed that told him Murdock had managed to get to his feet, although Face didn't even know how he had accomplished this. Anything short of curling up and moaning seemed beyond the blond at that time.

"Free drinks…" It was strange to hear Murdock not being so exuberant, although not surprising. He was trying, and Face blessed him fondly for that, but whilst his heart was in it, his body and mind were suffering and pathetic, "Would have been rude not to accept…"

Face laughed briefly at his reasoning, turning his head to see what the pilot was up to, and caught him just in time to see him stumble into the bathroom. Moments later the shower came to life, and Face had to commend him on his perseverance. Logic told him taking a shower would make him feel better, but his stomach dared him to even think about trying it.

"I'm going to call for coffee, anything you want?" Face hoped he had been loud enough for Murdock to hear, and he winced at how dry his throat was. It felt like his oesophagus was lined with sandpaper.

"Juice…and food." Came the reply, and Face groaned at the very idea of food. Had he been up to it, he would have complained about how Murdock could manage food, but he wasn't even capable of that, and just wanted to order before pulling the covers up over his head.

Murdock was out of the shower by the time the room service knocked on the door, which was lucky considering that Face had no plans to get up and let them in. He listened to the murmurs of conversation, waiting for the door to close before emerging from under the blanket. He eagerly took the coffee when the pilot offered it to him, ignoring his somewhat amused grin. He knew he looked like hell, but at that particular moment he couldn't be bothered to care.

And it was a little irritating to see that Murdock was already bouncing back to his normal self. He looked a little weary and sickly, but his bright-eyed expression was already returning, and he eagerly tucked in to the toast and orange juice that had been sent up. Face only had to look at the toast to feel like he wanted to throw up.

Once he had finished his coffee, Face disappeared back under the covers and tried to ignore the fact that he would, eventually, have to get up. Something that the pilot had no plans of letting him put off, and a minute or so later Face felt a weight shift the bed down before someone started poking him through the blanket. Gently at first, and then harder when he didn't respond, until it turned into bruising jabs all over his back and shoulder.

"Alright! Stop it." Face finally couldn't ignore it any longer and pushed the covers down to glower at the pilot, who just smiled amiably.

"You cant stay in bed all day, Faceman." Murdock told him again, sneaking another poke before Face could stop him.

"Why not…I'm sick." The conman made a grab to stop the pilot poking him again, although in retrospect this was a mistake since it only encouraged Murdock to prod and poke him more. He kept it up despite Face's yelling until finally the only way for the conman to escape was to leap off the bed, thankfully taking the blankets with him since he was aware he was still naked. If looks could kill, Murdock would have been dead ten times over, but as it was he just sat cross-legged in the middle of the bare bed grinning like a child.

"I'm going to shower." Face finally muttered unhappily and turned to skulk into the bathroom, shivering and not looking forward to the noise of the shower at all.

The whining groan he let out as the torrent of water crashed down on him was audible out in the bedroom.

Fortunately after a few minutes under the hot water he felt life returning to his body and the nauseated feeling dissipating and he let out a sigh of relief as he rested his head again the shower wall. He managed to spend a pleasant amount of time enjoying the warmth until his brain finally decided he needed to start thinking about the situation with Murdock.

Really, how was he supposed to deal with this? He had no precedent to work with. It was like he had done everything he said he never would in one night. He had worn fishnet (and leather). He had gone to a gay bar. He had drank less than manly drinks. He had sung karaoke. He had proposed…to a man! And then…

Oh hell, and then…

He wished he could read Murdock's mind, so that he would have at least some insight into what the other man thought of what had happened. Although he doubted it would be that helpful since he didn't really know what he himself thought of what had happened.

He was embarrassed, sure, that he could have let something like that happen, but he wasn't as horrified as he expected. Nor was he as disgusted as he thought he should be. Perhaps with any other man, a stranger, he may have felt some revulsion at what had happened, but it wasn't any other man. It was Murdock. And they had stayed in Arizona for a reason.

He had never thought it would go that far, never even considered it, but somewhere in his head he had to admit that it had always been a possibility. If he and Murdock had ended up getting closer, then somewhere down the line something like that may have happened. It had just turned out to have happened a lot sooner than he anticipated. Too soon.

Switching off the shower, he reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist as he stepped out, breathing out a harsh sigh. He put off opening the door and going out into the bedroom and instead crossed over to the mirror, wiping off the steam with his hand. The reflection that stared back with starting to look more like the Templeton Peck he knew, even if he was looking a bit pasty and the dark shadows under his eyes refused to budge.

When he finally worked up the courage to leave the bathroom he found Murdock crouched on the floor, picking up all the bits of paper that had fallen out of the trilby the night before. Being a man of plans, Face was relieved to see this; it gave him a way in to bring up last night. He also noticed that pieces of clothing from the floor had been picked up and folded, and the soiled shirt had disappeared.

"You should just get the vacuum on them." Face said idly as he picked out a set of clothes, getting his underwear on under the towel.

"But then I couldn't call them." Murdock reasoned, like Face was being silly.

"You're going to keep in contact?" Face couldn't hide his surprise, looking over as he let the towel drop, using it to dry his hair as he went in search of a shirt. He tried not to falter when he saw the pilot scan his body, the tall man immediately looking away in embarrassment, obviously not having meant to do that.

"W-well, yeah. They were pretty…interesting, and fun." He reasoned, standing up with the bits of paper, "The ones I remember anyway," He added in a mumble, keeping his eyes averted from Face as the conman got dressed as quickly as he could.

There were minutes of awkward silence as Face pulled on his clothes before he took a seat on the edge of the bed with a comb in one hand, "Alright, let's talk about this." He finally breached the subject, looking up at the pilot, who faltered then nodded with a relieved expression.

"Yeah…good idea." He took a seat on the opposite bed, putting his elbows on his knees, big brown eyes not quite looking at the conman.

"So…what do we do with this?" Face asked falteringly, using combing his hair as an excuse not to look at Murdock.

"Depends…" Murdock said slowly, "On what you want to do."

Face let out a sigh, lowering his hands, then his head following suit, looking down at his socked feet, "I don't know Murdock." He said quietly, fighting his desire to stall for time against his need not to hurt Murdock, or in any way irreparably damage their friendship, "It's all a little…" He struggled for words.

"Yeah…" Murdock's quiet tone was enough to make the conman look up, the pilot regarding him with an understanding, if not slightly weak, smile. He lifted a hand to tap his temple, "Still a bit crazy." And Face nodded in agreement. There was no better way to put it. "Welcome to my life." The smile widened briefly, somewhat self-deprecating, but Face returned it nonetheless.

"It's not so bad." The conman told him, the weight in his chest lifting at the small laugh he received. Then a small silence as both searched for more meaningful words. Face wished he could say something that would make it all alright, but a lot of the previous was still fuzzy, or completely blank, and it didn't feel right to make any decisions when he didn't have all the facts right then.

"Promise this ain't gonna go south, Face" Murdock said quickly and quietly, eyes averted down, "Promise things ain't gonna get bad 'tween us just cos some stupid drunk stuff." The Texan drawl came on full-force as his shoulders hunched, like a defence mechanism. Surprised at he was at how afflicted the pilot looked, Face didn't need to hesitate as he reached over, putting a hand on the narrow, tense shoulder.

"I promise, Murdock." He told him, voice as sure as it had ever been, "I sure as hell don't know where this is going to go once we get our heads back on straight, but whatever happens, we'll be fine." Face assured him, dipping his head to try and see Murdock's face, "Okay buddy?"

The pilot let out a soft sigh, looking into Face's eyes as though searching for a lie, then nodded when he found none, "Yeah, alright."

"Good." Face put on his best charming smile and sat back, "How about we get packed up, grab something to eat and then go see if that bird is still waiting for us to take her home?" He of course meant the aeroplane they had left parked on the runway, and life sparked back into the pilot's eyes at the mention of flying, a broad grin splitting his face.

"Sounds great Faceman, you really think she'll still be there?" He bounced to his feet and set about shoving all his various debris haphazardly into his bag.

"Sure, stranger things have happened." Face nodded, collecting his own things but packing them much more neatly into an expensive travel case. They both paused at his comment, slanting looks at the other to judge the mood, before grinning when they realised they had both done it.

Stranger things certainly had happened.

Both refused to acknowledge any awkwardness, and therein was the strength of their plan. What had happened had happened, and there was no point avoiding the subject, especially when things started to jump back at them, and there was really nothing quite as satisfying as the 'Oh! Do you remember when-?'. So breakfast was spent with both laughter and embarrassment on both parts as certain facts started coming back to them.

Although they both edged around certain subjects. Things that would probably need to be discussed eventually, but not in public. But in quiet moments it was obvious that one or both of their minds strayed back to the end of their night.

Face forced some food down despite his protesting stomach, the amusing reminiscing certainly helped in keeping his mind off of it, and Murdock managed a hearty breakfast even between his animated talking.

"Do you think they'll forgive us for lying?" Murdock asked with a grin, still fully intending to get in contact with the people that had given him their numbers.

"I think they might feel a bit cheated." Face laughed, sipping his juice and looking a bit incredulous, "Princess may want his-"

"Her."

"Sorry, _her _ring back." Once he had remembered that the three women they had spent most of the night with hadn't actually been women (it had taken an embarrassingly long time), he had been having trouble getting the pronouns right. He didn't mean to get it wrong, and Murdock knew it, but corrected him every time nonetheless.

Murdock looked down at the ring he was still wearing with a grin, eyes softening a bit, "Nah, I'm sure she'd understand." He said surely, and Face just shook his head.

"You know you cant keep that on, right?" The conman ventured as he looked around for a waiter, then gestured that he would like the bill. He looked back to Murdock to find he was being stared at blankly, as if to say 'why not?'.

"Because Hannibal and BA are going to ask questions about why you came back from Arizona with an engagement ring." Face explained slowly, and Murdock just shrugged with a lopsided grin.

"So? I'll tell 'em I proposed to some Arizona babe in a teeny weeny bikini." Face eyed him with bemusement, "You really think they're going to jump to the conclusion that the only reason we stayed in Arizona was to try dating and that, after your plans failed so abysmally, I guilted you into wearing leather and fishnet and then took you to a gay bar, where we drank brightly coloured drinks, pretended to be in a long -term relationship to con some lovely drag queens, after which you sang karaoke and then proposed to me in front of a bar full of people?" Murdock snorted in amusement, "Yeah, because that's real believable."

Face met him with a blank stare in silence. The pilot made a good point. Why was he worrying about what Hannibal and BA would ask? They could just tell them the truth; it wasn't like they would believe them.

It was pretty unbelievable after all. And if it wasn't for the drunken memories slowly crawling back into his head, and Murdock chirping up with things he didn't fully recall, Face would have been tempted just to write it off as a really weird dream.

Murdock was grinning at him expectantly, and Face rolled his eyes after he had paid and sent the waiter away.

"Alright, you can wear the ring."

Murdock had the glasses on again, and this time the strange squirmy feeling Face got in his stomach when he saw the pilot wearing them was all too-easy to identify.

The plane was still sat on the runway where they had left it, and after some very persuasive conmanship on both their parts, they had weaselled their way back on and Murdock was running ecstatically towards the cockpit, shedding pieces of costume as he went. Face was sad to see that the glasses had come off as well.

As the plane started up, Face was still gathering up the discarded garments in the fuselage, noting with amusement that the acrid smell of Hannibal's cigar still permeated the air. He hurriedly made his way to join the pilot in the cockpit, buckling up in the co-pilot seat just in time before the g-force pinned him to the nearest surface.

They took off with a loud, excited howl, and Face couldn't help grinning, glad to hear it.

"Aww, look Face, they refuelled her for us." The conman didn't think it was actually possible for Murdock to sound happier, "How about we take the scenic route home?" He asked hopefully, and Face just shrugged with a grin.

"Hey, I'm just a passenger, not like I know how to fly this thing." He said obligingly, knowing full well that if he had said no, Murdock would have done as he was told. But that would have been tantamount to kicking a puppy.

And the happy smile on Murdock's face was worth the potential trouble they could get in. And it really was the airport's fault for refuelling them, after all.

They continued to talk about the night before, laughing and digging at each other as more things came to light, but it was Murdock who finally asked the question that was on both their minds.

"So, Face? What happens in Arizona, stays in Arizona, right?" He fortunately had the guise of looking at the various metres as an excuse to not look at Face as he said it. He feigned casualness, but it really was the pressing question and they knew it.

"Is that what you want?" It was only a half stall. He really did want to know.

"You know what I want, Face." Murdock said with a forgiving smile, and Face nodded.

"Yeah." He did know, and he let his head fall back against the seat, looking out at the magical wonderland of clouds they were flying through, thinking hard. Murdock gave him the time he needed.

The atmosphere was easy this time. They weren't hiding behind strained silences and half-spoken truths. He felt no pressure either way; Murdock would accept whatever decision. It was down to what he wanted. And what did he want?

"California is pretty hot." He reasoned, and Murdock caught on immediately.

"Sure is." He agreed, trying not to grin.

"And it would be a damn pain if we had to hijack a ride to Arizona every time we wanted to…you know." Face added, still speaking to the clouds, but smiling broadly.

"That's okay, I don't mind flying-"

"Murdock." Murdock hadn't been able to resist. He really did like flying. But he conceded with a laugh, finally looking over to Face.

"Sure Face, home base is plenty hot." The conman turned his head to look back at the pilot, wearing his most charming smile.

"You sure?"

"'Course." Murdock had never been more sure of anything, "But then, I'm crazy. And guess that means you must be too."

Face let out a laugh, turning on his chair and leaning in towards the pilot, "Must be." He agreed as Murdock leaned over the arm of his seat with a pleased grin , brown eyes fixed to brilliant blue, "But then again, it's not so bad."

And this time there was no angry BA to stop them as he leaned in.

END

* * *

When I first started this as a full-length story, I was still in the mindset that all my stories had to end in porn. So this chapter was originally going to be a really-hard-to-justify sex scene. But from then until now I have developed a lot more as an author (And written about 15 other stories with these guys) and the sex no longer seemed necessary or likely at this point. I am sorry for taking so long with this final chapter. I am so happy to have finally finished this story, I have loved and hated it. I may correct some of the glaring things one day, but for now I'm going to concentrate on other stories. Thank you for reading.


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